One Hundred Reasons
by RainbowSerenity
Summary: 100 Theme Challenge for HopeLight. They're two halves a whole, because after all ...there's no light without a little bit of hope.
1. introduction

Hello everyone! If you follow any sort of HopeLight tags on tumblr, you may have seen all of these fics, but if not, welcome. This is one of those 100 Theme Challenges, and it'll be 100 different oneshots for this pairing. As of now, they're all already on tumblr (I have the same username there). I'm just putting them here for safekeeping, I guess.

They'll range in ratings and a lot (most) of them will be AU. I'll always make a note of the theme and whether it's AU or not. Without further adieu...

* * *

**introduction; au**

The first time he met her, it was incredibly noisy and the music was loud. Waaaay too loud. He wondered how the hell people could stand to listen to it at this volume night after night and figured this was a reason Snow pretended not to hear him half the time.

But Hope managed to speak to the woman that intrigued him, much to her obvious displeasure. She didn't seem to want to spare a moment for anyone, much less an obviously well-off pretty boy.

"They call me Averia," she'd said in her low, seductive tone that just made him want to hear more. Apparently, he was the only one, since she hadn't seemed to care for his pleasantries about how it was nice to meet her.

Maybe it was because she knew he really wasn't meeting her. The next time he saw her, it was without a doubt the same woman he'd met that night, but her introduction was a lot more subdued - a little sadder, somehow.

"Lightning. Call me Light."

There was no way that was her real name…but then again, his name was Hope, so who was he to judge? Despite the ridiculousness, though, somehow he just _knew_. Every name was a hidden layer - Avera, the breathtaking seductress; Lightning, the beautiful ice queen…

It was only when they found themselves clinging to each other after a terrible, unsettling night that he heard her murmur in a helpless voice he never would have imagined in her tone:

"I never wanted you to see Claire. I left her behind for a reason."

Hope's armed tightened around her trembling frame, unable to help the slight smile on his face, honored that he could be introduced to every part of her. His lips brushed her ear, murmuring quietly, "She's a part of you, and no matter what, I want all of you."

No matter how many layers there were, she was herself in the end, and that was what mattered to him.

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I like reviews :)


	2. love

The first few are pretty short. They get super long eventually :)

* * *

**love; au**

Morning had become a sort of sacred time of day for Lightning. In the silence before the rest of the world woke up, she was able to remain close to Hope and admit to herself that there was little better than the feel of his arms snaked protectively around her.

She almost always woke up before he did. With a faint little smile, she turned a bit to gaze at his sleeping face, their steady breathing and the quiet rustle of sheets the only noise in the room. It was amazing how vulnerable he seemed when he slept, but then again, she supposed that most people were like that.

Her smile widened as she reached out to lightly trace his collarbone, her fingers grazing his bare chest, and she could have sworn she saw him smile when her hand stopped to rest over his heart. It quickened under her simple touch, which she'd always found a little strange. Did he really enjoy being close to her that much?

Lightning sighed inaudibly, scooting a bit closer to bury her face in his neck, pressing a kiss to his pulse. Lean arms tightened even more around her and one of his hands threaded in her hair. She relished in the touch. Honestly, she couldn't really believe that being so close to someone in such a simple fashion - like lying in bed with them on a lazy Sunday morning - could make her so happy.

Was this love?

When she felt Hope nuzzle her, his lips just barely brushing her forehead, Lightning was certainly inclined to say yes.


	3. light

A note on the ones that 'should totally be the LR universe' - most of these were written before we knew about Hope's appearance or his role. So take it with a grain of salt ;)

* * *

**light**; **what should be the Lightning Returns universe**

Chaos had turned the world into despair, that much was easy to see. The fact that people could live for centuries didn't matter - what was the point, when everything you did was awash in sadness?

Sometimes Hope felt like he was the only one who had any sort of hold on…well, hope, and not just for the obvious reasons. It was because even now, after living for far longer than any man should have been able to, he could so easily recall the words Lightning had said in defiance before the first fall.

_"When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some."_

She was right. She always had been. And in a world that was full anguish, he was the only one who could do the looking.

It came when he'd traveled to the heart of the Chaos - Valhalla.

Etro's throne.

Lightning.

No…_Light_.

Because Lightning - in her own words - flashed bright and faded away. It couldn't protect, it only destroyed. But here she was now, a shining crystal that would give off light for eternity if she so allowed it. It was their one sliver of hope.

He knelt down in front of the throne, his expression longing as he stared at her crystallized form. Funny - he'd always thought that once he'd found her, everything would just fall into place. Her mere presence would fix everything and change the world.

How foolish he'd been, not that he minded. There was no way either of them could this alone.

Light could not exist without hope, after all.


	4. dark

**dark; au**

When it came to clothing, Lightning didn't really have a preference. She wore what fit her well, end of story. Honestly, she couldn't fathom how so many women could find the art of playing dress-up so amusing.

Serah seemed dead set on convincing her otherwise.

"Oh, come on, Lightning!" Serah shifted through a bunch of hangers with outfits she'd selected for her sister. "At least _try_ to act like you're having fun. Most girls would kill for a personal shopper!"

"You're my sister." Lightning rolled her eyes. "There's a big difference."

"Not much of one," Hope piped up, some of the first words he'd spoken since they'd arrived, which just made Lightning feel a little guilty. Why had Serah insisted on dragging him along? Oh yes, to 'get his opinion.'

Even though, naturally, Serah of all people should have known that dragging boyfriends along on shopping outings was a very bad idea.

"Point taken," was all Lightning replied, sighing as her sister thrust a pale blue dress in her arms. "Another one?"

"This is a different style!" Serah huffed with Lightning rolled her eyes. "Don't you want to wow everyone at this reunion?"

"Not really."

"But you still need the perfect dress!" She practically shoved Lightning back into the dressing room. "Which you can only get by trying it on, you know!"

Honestly, how many times today had she rolled her eyes? At least Hope seemed to be on her side. At first he'd looked rather interested, but as time ticked on, he looked more and more bored and was practically slumping in his chair, occasionally scrolling through his phone.

It was only when Lightning emerged in what felt like the hundredth dress she'd tried on, her face still in an unamused frown, that Hope spoke again. "You know, Serah, all of these are really nice, Light doesn't seem to like any of them." His eyes went to the pile of rejected outfits. "And you keep picking out pastels."

Serah flipped her hair over her shoulder. "But she looks really good in them. They compliment her hair and skin." She kind of smoothed out the one her sister was currently wearing, ignoring the extreme frown that was being sent her way at the fact that she and Hope were basically talking about her like she wasn't even there. "See?"

"She does," Hope agreed, quirking a bit of smile at the slight flush that appeared on his girlfriend's face, "but I've always liked her in darker colors, myself."

"Really?" Serah took a step back and tapped her chin, as though trying to imagine it. "Hmmm…I don't know, but I guess it couldn't hurt to try something on. I'll be right back!" She went back into the store, presumably to find fitting outfits.

Lightning just stared at Hope, honestly a little flabbergasted. "Since when do you pay attention to what I wear?"

He looked faintly amused. "Since when do you let Serah get away with playing dress-up? Especially since when she had you in and out of outfits for your maid of honor dress, you claimed it was going to be the last time."

….Damnit. He had a point. For once.

Before she could think of a retort, Serah had returned with an armful of new dresses. "Here you go!" She handed Lightning a black one. "Darker colors are a lot more popular, I guess, so it was easy to find a bunch in your size. Now get to trying them on before we're here in the dark."

Even though all she wanted to do was toss all of the fabric aside, Lightning obeyed and began to strap and zip herself in. It was only when she emerged wearing a fairly simple one - a sleeveless, knee-length, wrap-around, dark blue number - that she noticed Hope's expression had gone from bored to totally intrigued. His eyes roamed over her with a soft little expression of approval.

"I like it," he said quietly.

She couldn't help but smile. "The dress?"

"More like…the dress on _you_."

Serah smiled to herself, watching as Hope stood up to gently turn Lightning to face the mirror, his hands lightly rubbing her arms. They both looked relaxed and happy - almost like they'd forgotten they were in a fitting room at all.

As she quietly gathered the rejected dresses to hang up, leaving those two in their own little world for now, she made two mental notes - one, that Lightning did indeed pull off dark colors well; and two, that Hope would most definitely have to come along on their shopping trips from now on.


	5. drive

**drive; in-game verse**

Before his life-changing adventure as a l'cie, Hope had been a pretty average student. Sure, he'd studied and made decent grades, but like any other teenager, he'd never given much thought as to _why_.

Funny how everything changed when you suddenly had things worth fighting for.

People seemed to be impressed with his intellect as he skipped a bunch of grades and rose through the ranks of the Academy, but Hope didn't really understand why. If you had a goal, you did everything you could to reach it.

At least, that was what he'd learned from Lightning all those years ago.

His research had already done so much - besides helping the Academy grow in ways no one had ever thought possible, he'd managed to do what everyone had claimed was unthinkable and found out where Lightning was. And thanks to Serah and Noel, they _were_ going to find her. Somehow he figured that once he - they - did, everything would fall into place - the new Cocoon would be successful, Fang and Vanille would be free, and they would all be together again.

It all played out perfectly in his mind. Once Serah and Noel defeated Caius and restored the true timeline, they'd come back through the gate with Lightning in tow. Or perhaps she'd appear through a rift, but either way, they'd all return in time to see the new Cocoon float in the sky like it'd always been there.

And though he was always embarrassed to think this even in his private daydreams, Hope always imagined himself moving to embrace Lightning like she had to him all those years ago - out of sheer, utter relief that everything was now okay.

But first…

"Director!"

…There was work to do.


	6. cat

**cat; au of the game-verse**

Lightning had probably been the one most surprised to be released from Valhalla and given back to the world of humans. She wasn't home, but she was with the others and that was all she cared about, especially since she had fully expected to never leave Valhalla ever again.

Serah, Noel, and Sazh were just like she remembered. Fang and Vanille would be the same, she knew, if they were ever released from their crystal stasis.

And Hope…

Thought she'd spoken to him in his dreams and seen him through the timeline, it was still shocking to have him right here in person - not to mention that he was older than her now. It should have felt a lot stranger than it did, but in stead it was easy to think things had always been this way.

The only one missing was Snow. Serah had started on a desperate search since their lives had settled somewhat here in 500AF, and now Lightning and Hope were helping as well.

"The big lug probably thinks Bhunivelze is Cocoon and is wandering around up there," Lightning muttered. Hope hid a snort of laughter, but Serah just frowned.

"No, he knew the fall was going to happen," she mused, then sighed heavily. "We probably just keep missing each other."

Lightning bit her tongue. There _was_ always the possibility that Snow as in another time period - or worse, dead - but she knew her sister knew that. Instead, she put a comforting arm around Serah's shoulders. "You still have Hope and I," she said. "We'll help you in any way we can."

"I know." Serah gave them a genuine smile. "I'm so glad you came back, sis. Even if we don't find Snow, I'll always be grateful for that."

"We all are," Hope added. He'd been rather quiet up until this point, but now his eyes were trained on Lightning. "We couldn't ask for anything more…except Snow's safety, of course."

"Of course." Lightning stared at him for a moment, completely missing the knowing little smile on Serah's face, but the spell was broken by a sudden rustling in the bushes near them.

Instantly, everyone went into battle mode. Monsters were scares around this area, but it was better to be prepared than not.

When the noise stopped seconds later, the three of them relaxed. Lightning faced Hope again with a little smirk. "I can't believe you still have that boomerang."

Hope smiled sheepishly. "I enhanced it myself. It's usually capable of shutting down certain monsters with an electro-magnetic sho - "

"Snow!"

They both whipped their heads around in surprise at Serah's shriek, expecting to see the tall man appear, but were instead met with nothing. Lightning frowned, wondering if her sister had lost her mind.

"…I don't see him."

Serah shook her head and spun around, cradling a cat in her arms. "Not that Snow, _this_ Snow!" She smiled widely as the cat began to purr, its head rubbing against Serah's arm. "Yuj got her for me in New Bodhum, back when…" Her happy expression faltered for a moment. "Back when everyone left. I guess she must have gotten caught in a rift or something."

Lightning and Hope spoke in unison. "_She_?"

"Yeah!" Serah cocked her head. "Something wrong with that?"

The other two exchanged a glance. "…No. Nothing at all," Hope finally said, then cleared his throat. "Well, at least we've got one Snow here with us. Shall we continue to find the other?"

"Definitely!"

Lightning shook her head a bit, though she smiled when Hope walked up a bit closer to pet the cat - Snow, as it was. Which was still a very strange thought.

Serah was looking at her sister in exasperation, like she could read her thoughts. "Okay, sis, what would _you_ have named her, then?"

After a moment of surprise, Lightning actually gave it serious thought, as she was wont to do. She came to the conclusion that if Serah had named the cat Snow, there was only one name she could've given had she been in the same situation.

"I would've named her Hope."


	7. break away

**break away; au**

It may have been because Lightning wasn't at all a slacker herself, but truth be told, she loved seeing Hope in his work mode. The way he stared at his laptop amused her - he'd often make faces at things he clearly didn't agree with, and there was no hiding the triumph in his eyes when he made a breakthrough, even if he didn't voice it. Honestly, it was endearing.

…To a point.

On this particular day, Hope had been staring at his laptop for a good six hours, clearly not goofing off, but doing actual work. Instead of the relaxed posture he normally took while sitting in front of it, he was hunched over like the screen was going to run away from him.

Three times already, Lightning had mentioned the time, but the words went right over his head. She didn't really mind - hell, she was guilty of doing the same to him many, many times - but he'd also taught her the importance of taking breaks.

"Hope."

Nothing.

"…_Hope_."

"Hmmm?"

At least she'd gotten an answer that time. She sighed, wandering over and resting her hands on his shoulders, kneading them a bit and smiling slightly when his hunched-over position straightened a bit as he leaned into her hands. "Are you all right? You've been at this for awhile now."

"Oh, y'know." He sighed slightly, tilting his head up so he could look at her. "It's just intense, is all."

"Too intense." She quirked at eyebrow, leaning down to peck his lips sweetly. "You need to get away from it."

"But Light - "

"No arguments." She moved from behind him to save whatever he'd been working on, then closed the laptop and shoved it aside, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet before he could protest.

He huffed a little, though didn't really seem all that annoyed. "Okay, what do you propose I do, then?"

Lightning smirked, pushing him onto the couch and straddled his lap, much to his surprise. Her arms slid around his neck, bringing their lips close together.

"Call it a study break."


	8. heaven

**heaven; au of the game-verse, if that makes sense**

After all of their hardships, after all of the trials, after all of this _time_, Hope could hardly believe it, but it was true: Lightning was here. She'd come home to them out of a rift that'd appeared after Serah and Noel had gone through the last open gate.

And even better was that she was here with _him_.

The rising of the New Cocoon had given plenty of people a new home - if they'd had one previously. Obviously, Lightning hadn't lived anywhere but Valhalla for centuries, so somehow Hope had convinced her to live with him in his spacious condo Academia had provided.

Naturally, she'd refused at first. After all, her priority was to be with Serah, but after a little knowing smile from the younger Farron, she'd insisted that Lightning stay with him. After all, Serah needed to ask around and see if anyone had found Snow.

Hope had been a little embarrassed that Serah could see through him so easily, but it was hard to mind now. After a confession that had come out of nowhere - along with, to his utter shock, a reciprocation - he and Lightning had settled into a rather comfortable way of life. Sometimes he grew worried that she'd get up and leave, because Lightning was definitely not made for sitting still, but so far, she seemed content with remaining close to him.

It was perfect.

Hope watched her with a little smile one morning as she sat up in their bed, looking not quite awake. His eyes gaze over her slightly mussed hair, the graceful slope of her shoulders, how the oversized shirt she'd worn to bed was all rumpled and clung to her in all the right places…

She made a quiet, startled sound when Hope sat up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, burying his face in the crook of her neck. His smile widened when she relaxed a moment later, obviously happy in his arms.

"Morning," she murmured. He inwardly sighed, thinking that he could never get tired of her voice - for so long, he was sure he'd forgotten it.

"Good morning," he replied, turning his head a bit to nuzzle the skin at her neck. "You're up early."

"Could say the same for you."

He chuckled quietly, still a little too tired to offer any words beyond that, but it didn't seem to matter. This lazy morning with Lightning - because she was _here_ - being able to hold her close and have her fit against him so perfectly was more than he ever could have dreamed of.

It was, in a word, heaven.


	9. gray

**gray; au**

For the most part, Lightning did not let things stand in her way. If there was an obstacle, she pushed through it.

There were some things stronger than her, however…like Mother Nature.

Lightning glanced out the window, frowning slightly at the drops of rain clinging to the glass and the gray, overcast sky. Her mood improved when she turned around and saw Hope on the couch, despite the - dare she think it - _pout_ on his face.

"A romantic outdoor picnic, right?" She slid into the empty space beside him with a little smirk. "You had it all planned out, I heard. There were going to be candles and everything."

"Yeah, yeah." Hope rubbed a hand over his face with a groan. "So I didn't check the weather forecast ahead of time. It could've been wrong anyway, you know."

"I know." Lightning leaned against him, rubbing his knee in comfort. "It's okay. We can do something else."

"Like what? All the restaurants and stuff will be packed since it's raining."

"We don't have to go out." She smirked again. "In fact, we can go with your idea after all."

Hope looked at her in confusion. "How?"

"Just think about it." She gestured out towards the room. "We can move all the furniture, start up the fireplace…have an indoor picnic instead. And…" She pressed a kiss beneath his hear, chuckling at the shiver that resulted. "Have some dessert before the main course."

He paused, apparently taking this awesome idea in, eventually turning to kiss her smirky mouth. "Perfect," he murmured, proceeding to go for an appetizer.

Lightning had no complaints. After all, she never let _anything_ stand in her way.


	10. no time

**no time; au full of holiday fluff**

When Lightning's eyes blearily blinked open, she found with some surprise that the numbers of her alarm clock read just five minutes before six. This was initially met with confusion since it usually didn't go off until an hour later.

However, the light scraping of snowfall against the window reminded her and her stomach was instantly filled with butterflies.

It was Christmas morning…and more specifically, her first Christmas morning with Hope.

She supposed waking at this hour was habit. No matter how old they'd gotten, Serah would always charge into her sister's room to wake her up at this ungodly hour, and they'd open their gifts as the sun rose. It never took long, especially when they were younger and money had been tight, but it'd always been clear that the sisters enjoyed the bonding time more than anything else.

Lightning half expected Serah to barge into her room simply out of tradition, but instead, she felt Hope's arm tighten around her waist as he made an intelligible noise and seemed to burrow closer to her. With a smile, she carefully turned on her side so she was looking at him, bringing the covers over the two of them.

The snowfall had turned silent, and even this close, she could barely hear Hope's breathing since it was so quiet. Another little smile formed on her face as she brushed the bangs out of his closed eyes.

It was strange how different this felt as compared to Christmas mornings with her family. When she'd been a child and her parents were alive, there was so much excitement in the air that it was practically tangible. The first holiday after their mother had died had been incredibly depressing, but it'd gradually gotten better after that. And Serah learned that she could get away with waking her sister at an unreasonable hour.

But right now, here all warm and snug in Hope's arms, she felt like they could simply stay here forever. They were in that suspended moment where there was no time, only pure feeling. It only seemed to come on this particular morning - when she'd been a child, it'd been right before she was able to come down the stairs, hand-in-hand with Serah. Getting older, it'd become after the gifts were unwrapped and the two of them realized once again that they would always have each other.

Lightning smiled again as her fingers lightly traced over Hope's face. He didn't wake, though seemed to lean into her touch, pulling her closer again until there was no cold space in between them.

She buried her face against his neck with a content sigh, thinking that this sort of Christmas morning was the most preferable. All of this uninterrupted time with Hope, to simply lay with him and feel their love with every slight touch…there was no better gift she could ask for.


	11. abandoned

**abandoned; in-game verse kinda**

It had been centuries, but he could still remember all too clearly what she'd said to him in the Gapra Whitewood.

_"I won't abandon you. I won't."_

Hope's fists clenched slightly. Yes, for a long while, Lightning had made that promise come true - she'd protected him from the PSICOM soldiers, looked after him during their first trip to Gran Pulse, and consistently watched his back during all the ensuing battles.

But even though he knew it was through no fault of her own…she'd broken her promise. It wasn't just her, he knew - everyone had left, one by one.

And yet it was Lightning's disappearance that hurt the most.

It wasn't simply because of her never-ending crystal stasis, though of course that was a big reason for it. Her crystalized face never failed to send a stab of agony into his heart.

Along with that, it was the _dreams_. A part of him wanted to believe that Lightning was speaking to him from Valhalla, just as she had back when he'd first time-traveled, but he knew that was impossible. Her soul was imprisoned. She could not reach out to anyone.

That thought just made the dreams even worse. Almost every night, without fail, she'd come to him. They would be in some sort of vague, foggy area, but neither of them would seem to care. They would simply be in each others' company; sometimes talking about things that were going on in the world, but Hope could never quite remember the exact words.

The dreams that hurt the most, however, were when his soul dared to open up. He told her everything - his admiration turned love, how so much of what he'd done with his life was for her, how he hadn't stopped thinking of her for a moment all these centuries - and had even gotten the courage to pull her close, their bodies fitting together so naturally, even in their dream consciousness.

He could never remember if she said anything in reply. All he could recall were that the dreams never lasted long enough, and too often, Hope would wake up alone and full of longing.

Through no fault of her own, Lightning continued to abandon him.

Night, after night, after night.


	12. memory

**memory; au**

Hope tried not to let his eyes glaze over as he listened to a friend of his father's talk on and on and on about something he didn't have any particular interest in. If he could have, he would've found some way to bow out of the conversation, but he knew he couldn't. Like he needed _another_ lecture from his father.

Honestly, he hated this life that he was forced to live - the world of the upper-class, politics, and schmoozing. Hope wished that he could make his way through life on his own without the Estheim name attached and without people trying to use him just to get ahead in their own lives.

Of course, as he caught sight of a long-legged, pink-haired server that was balancing a tray as she walked around the room, he remembered that there was at least _someone_ who didn't give a damn about the social class attached to his name…

_She'd had a terrible night at one of her jobs, which didn't surprise Hope at all - the place was sleazy and he constantly wished he could get her out of there, but she was stubborn. There was no other way to support her sister, she claimed. And she would do whatever the hell it took to make sure her sister was taken care of._

_"But you need to take care of_ yourself, _too," Hope had said._

_"…I do. Enough, anyway."_

_He hadn't been convinced, not at all. "Lightning…"_

_How they'd ended up back at his condo was anyone's guess. Something about her ride not being able to make it and getting locked out of her apartment. Instead of leaving each other alone, they'd been drawn to each other - two lost souls on complete opposite ends of the spectrum._

_Somehow, this had translated into her taking out her emotions on him in the form of desperate touches and hungry kisses, the rustling of the sheets on their bare skin doing nothing to hide her gasps and his murmurs of her name. For one blissful night, his status and her poverty meant nothing._

_Not that she gave a damn about his place in the world at all._

And the more he recalled the memory of that night, the more Hope was convinced was that was how it was meant to be. Though she was literally here to serve him and these high-class snobs he was surrounded by, he knew that Lightning was a better person than any of them would ever be.

But as she passed him with the tray, her eyes hiding a bit of shame, he knew it would take a lot to convince her of that…and more than anything, he wanted to be the one to do it.


	13. questioning

**questioning; au**

Even on normal, ordinary evenings like they were having, sometimes Lightning couldn't help but be amazed at the turn her life had taken over the years. Had someone told her years ago that she'd be married with a family, she would have thought they were crazy.

Though when she glanced at her husband and son, she figured that maybe it wasn't _quite_ that crazy.

"Don't you have homework?" Hope ruffled Soren's hair, earning a squawk of protest from the teenager.

"Maybe," he replied with a little shrug. Hope and Lightning exchanged a smile over his head.

"Your father's right." When she didn't get an answer right away, she glanced over Soren's shoulder and noticed that he was thumbing through a magazine - probably something he'd gotten from his aunt, she gathered. "What are you looking at, anyway?"

Before Soren could answer, he'd turned the page and found himself staring at an advertisement - one for a brand of clothing or something, but he wasn't paying much attention to anything else except the man modeling it.

Lightning cocked her head slightly when she was met with silence, noticing the slight blush that'd formed on Soren's cheeks, but forgot about that for a moment when she noticed what he was looking at. "Hope…" she gestured towards her husband, "isn't this Noel?"

"Huh?" Hope was at their sides and picked up the magazine, staring at it for a second before laughing quietly. "Geez, how many years has it been? And he still looks exactly the same."

"Guess the modeling business is good for him." Lightning smirked a little, shaking her head a bit.

Soren's eyes had gone wide at the conversation. "You _know_ him?"

"It's been ages since we've seen him, but yes, we know him." Light still looked rather amazed. "To think, we've known someone somewhat-famous all this time and have never known."

"Because he's terrible at keeping in touch." Hope chuckled under his breath and handed the magazine back to his son, who was blushing even more by the second.

"So, uh…" Soren's foot jiggled a little, "do you think you'll ever talk to him again?"

"Oh yeah, no doubt. Once I can, y'know, get a hold of him and all."

"Oh. Right. Yeah, that makes sense." There was an awkward pause, but eventually Soren cleared his throat and hopped out of his chair, leaving the magazine open to Noel's ad as he held it. "But hey, about that homework! Gotta get started on that and all."

Lightning glanced at him in silence for a second, taking in his embarrassed tone of voice and how he was still blushing. "….Okay. Let us know if you need any help."

"Will do." Soren sent his parents each a smile, glancing at the ad one more time and blushing like crazy before heading upstairs.

Hope and Lightning stared at his retreating back, then slowly looked at each other. She could immediately tell that they were thinking the same thing…a suspicion that had actually been budding for quite awhile.

He let out a breath and slid an arm around his wife, his thumb stroking the small of her back. "Are you thinking what I'm….?"

"Yeah." She leaned into him a bit with a quiet sigh. "I think he's still figuring it out for himself, though. And no matter what the outcome, it's not as though it changes anything."

"Of course not." Hope kissed the top of her head, a little relieved. "We'll just have to be there for him until it makes sense to him."

"Right." Lightning turned her head to give him a proper kiss. "At least until then…there's no question of who _you_ like."

He grinned against her lips. "Love, you mean."

"Hn, that's right. Silly me."

* * *

Soren comes from an RP my best friend and I have been doing for two years. He appears in these oneshots sometimes ;)


	14. trouble lurking

**trouble lurking; what should totally be the lightning returns universe**

Lightning did not like trains.

It wasn't the motion, the traveling, or the - ha - time involved. It was because they signified so much.

Centuries ago, the start of her journey had taken place on the Purge train. Had she not been there, so much wouldn't have come to pass. Perhaps she would have even gone to live a somewhat normal life.

But just as the Purge train signified the start of everything changing, this train to Luxerion could very well mean the beginning of the end. She had no idea what awaited her in this dreadful city; whether its people would accept her with fear or reverence.

Her only salvation was Hope. His communication with her was really her only connection at all to her old life, before everything had changed. And he was just as dependable as ever. It was as though he was trying to ignore that the past few centuries had ever happened and that he was keeping his boyhood promise to watch out for her.

She longed to see him, find out if he was as she remembered, both in her memories and from watching the timeline. Maybe being in his presence would help her think a little more clearly.

But for now, she could not.

Lightning stepped out when the train slowed and came to a stop, her gaze roaming around this unfamiliar territory.

These were the final thirteen days.

* * *

Please leave a review if you like these :)


	15. breathe again

**breathe again; what should totally be the Lightning Returns universe**

Being crystalized was like dreaming. Even if you were aware, you weren't _aware_ that you were - if that made sense at all. But sense wasn't really something you could count on, either.

It was only when the whispers in the back of her mind grew louder that she really began to realize what she'd done.

_"Wake up."_

It wasn't Vanille's voice this time, though it did sound oddly familiar. She had a feeling it was one she should have recognized, but just simply couldn't place. Not yet, anyway.

_"Please."_

How long had that voice been pleading? The tone was oddly desperate, like they'd been asking this of her for a long time. Perhaps she should obey. Maybe…Serah's memory needed to survive in her heart, instead of a tomb.

That thought was all she needed.

She did not see the flash of light or the crumbling of crystal dust. She did not see the rolling waves of Chaos or hear the bells toll - at least, not at first. For a long, suspended moment, she was something in between an eternal crystal and an expendable human.

A deity, perhaps.

The spell was broken when she took her first quiet breath, her eyes opening the sheer surprise it was to actually feel her body move again, rather than simply dream or imagine it. Her surprise magnified a hundred fold when she was suddenly snatched in a powerful embrace that nearly knocked the breath right out of her.

"Lightning…"

Her head turned slightly when she recognized the voice and astonishment made her stiffen. No, it…it couldn't be…

"Hope?"

Instead of pulling back to look at her, like she'd expected, his arms only tightened around her. She wondered which one of them was trembling…or maybe it was both of them.

"Light…I can't believe it…"

It didn't occur to her that the fact that he was here spoke volumes about how terrible things had gotten, that things were going to get even more difficult and there was no guarantee that they would all survive to tell the tale. But none of that mattered right all.

All she could do was breathe, her arms lifting to return his embrace.


	16. insanity

**insanity; in-game verse**

Before he'd fallen asleep in the time traveling pod, Hope's team had warned him and Alyssa both that no one had any idea what was going to happen in the future, despite all of the prophecies they'd found in the Oracle Drives. There were going to be precautions taken to make sure they woke up in a relatively safe area, but whether they would be welcomed or if the Academy would even accept them was another can of worms all together.

Alyssa had cheerfully assured them that it would be no problem. It was a big risk, they knew, but the potential benefits outweighed any of them.

Hope had agreed.

At least…until he heard _her_ voice.

_"Hope." Lightning's image was blurry and vague in his dreams, but he would recognize that voice anywhere. It was one he'd been yearning to hear for over ten years now._

_Why did he have to be asleep? Why couldn't he_ answer _her, tell her how much he'd missed her and that everything he was doing was a way to bring her, Fang, and Vanille back?_

_All he could do was listen._

_"You're doing the right thing. You're on the right path." A pause, like she was trying to see into his soul. "…It isn't going to get any easier from here, but you have to hold on. Believe in the hope you were named for."_

If she'd wanted to say anything else, the chance was lost when Hope abruptly woke up, his heart pounding. The researchers around him took it simply as surprise that he'd woken up 390 years in the future.

But no, it was because the dream was still in his mind, her voice lingering in his thoughts. And as he got himself situated with what was happening in this new Academia, a little embarrassed that he was apparently such a celebrity here, his inward resolve crumbled a little.

He couldn't get Lightning's voice out of his mind, now that he'd heard it again. He _needed_ to hear it in person, even just for one more time. If he couldn't…well, he wasn't sure he wanted to go down in history as the Director who'd gone mad.


	17. rainbow

**rainbow; au**

Most of the time, once Lightning woke up, she got out of bed almost instantly afterwards. Besides the fact that she was generally a morning person, she also wasn't the type to just loll around in bed while there was stuff that had to get done.

On this particular morning, though, she found that she was in no hurry to get out of bed. This was partially due to the extremely handsome man curled up next to her, their bodies pressed so close together that they might as well have been one person.

Lightning smiled to herself. How true _that_ thought was.

Hope was still asleep, one arm wrapped around her middle and his face near hers, close enough so that every exhale made her bangs dance. She sneaked her own arm around his bare shoulders, chuckling breathlessly when the motion made him pull her closer.

For quite some time, she just lay there, breathing him in and wondering what she'd done in her life to deserve him. No matter what he claimed, she knew he could have had his pick of anyone - someone softer than she was, someone who was better at dealing with their emotions, someone who was more sure of themselves.

But no. He'd chosen her.

Since she was facing Hope, this allowed her to see her hand when she lifted it up slightly, enough to see the glittering diamond ring that'd adorned her finger since last night. It caught the light peeking in from the curtains, making tiny rainbows dance on the ceiling.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed when she eventually heard Hope's low chuckle. Quickly, she dropped her hand to his bare back, sighing quietly when he kissed her shoulder, his lips slowly moving up her neck and to her ear, obviously relishing in her hitches of breath.

"Good morning, future Mrs. Estheim," Hope murmured into her ear.

Lightning smiled, moving her head to capture his lips lazily. "Farron-Estheim, you mean."

"…Close enough."


	18. teamwork

Halloween specia!

**teamwork; au**

It was unfortunate that as an adult, Lightning found little use for Halloween. Since there was a lack of free candy - which was really the torturous part; not that she'd ever admit that out loud - all it became was an excuse to get drunk while dressed as something ridiculous.

Figures that her 'friends' (and she used the term _very _loosely) would think of something completely different.

"Come on, Lightning." Lebreau grinned, nudging her with her elbow. "Going through a haunted house is pretty much mandatory on Halloween. Even Serah went through it earlier."

"Good for her," Lightning grumbled in response. At this point, she'd take getting drunk over this. "Let me guess - the others are going to pop out with sheets over their heads? Or maybe you splurged and got cheap rubber masks?"

"Serah wasn't this hard to convince." Lebreau chuckled.

"I bet she went in with Snow."

"Which is all the more reason that _you _should! You don't want the big guy to one-up you, right?"

Honestly, Lebreau was a terrible liar. There was _definitely _some kind of bigger reason she was urging this so much. The problem was, Lightning had absolutely no idea what the heck that reason could be.

Finally, she sighed heavily and started walking inside. "I can't believe this," she muttered, completely missing the triumphant grin on Lebreau's face.

Just as she'd suspected, the inside was nothing more than some dark, dingy rooms. Separators had been temporarily put in to create a maze, and there was the faint noise of a 'spooky' track in the background - probably from the CD player and put on repeat.

To her surprise, there didn't seem to be anyone else in this little maze - not even people out to 'scare' her. It was just the extremely dim lighting and her footsteps echoing, which she had to admit _was _a bit creepy. That was completely the only reason she jumped when she heard the creaky hinges of a door opening. A bit of light entered the room, and she could have sworn she heard shouting and catcalls, but it was extremely muffled.

All she knew was that she suddenly, quite literally, walked into someone. She instinctively grabbed their arm to keep from falling over.

"What the - "

"…Light?"

"Hope?" Lightning paused in surprise, squinting through the dimness as she looked up. She could just barely make out Hope's confused expression. "…Let me guess. Lebreau?"

"More like Maqui and Yuj," he murmured, almost in embarrassment. She wondered why, until she realized too late that she was still holding onto his arm and hastily moved her hand away.

"I wonder who's in here, then," she said quietly, clenching and unclenching her fingers.

"What do you mean?"

"The point of a haunted house is to be scared, right? Usually that means people jumping out behind walls or something ridiculous like that."

Hope shrugged. "I saw Gadot talking to Snow before the others shoved me in here, so I'm not sure who could be - " His sentence was interrupted by a voice - though it didn't sound familiar to either of them - echoing though the room.

"RUNNN AWAAAAY IF YOU WAAAANT TO LIIIIVE!"

Lightning immediately whirled around like she was going to punch something, missing the way Hope jumped - not out of fear, but just from surprise. A glare formed on her face, but it was so dark that she couldn't see if someone had made that noise, or if it was some kind of recording.

The two of them took a couple of steps when there was another string of gibberish, trying to locate the source of the noise, but it was so dim that it was difficult to tell. They went around in circles for what seemed like ages (which it was really only a couple minutes) until Lightning's aggravation grew obvious.

"Let's just get out of here," she muttered…

…apparently to annoyed to realize that she'd grabbed Hope's hand to lead him. She was looking around for the exit, so she completely missed the way his face flushed and the way his eyes darted down to their joined hands like this was a joke he was missing the punchline of. What she _didn't _miss was the way his fingers tightened around hers…and truth be told, it was pretty nice.

"Hey…Light?"

"Yes?" She was still searching for the elusive exit.

"I - "

Once again, Hope was interrupted by what was probably supposed to be 'scary' noises…only this time, they sounded live. More importantly, they sounded like they were coming from _outside._

"Here," she muttered, going to a random wall and kicking it. A hidden door creaked open, much to her surprise. She hadn't expected that to work that well.

Nor had she expected everyone to be standing there and staring with expectant looks on their faces. She frowned, especially when Serah let out a little squeal. Snow started laughing, Lebreau and Gadot were smirking, and she saw Yuj and Maqui give each other a high five.

"It worked!" Snow yelled in triumph.

Lightning was not amused. "What worked?"

Serah was giggling. "Got a little scared in there, didn't you, sis?"

"What are you _talking _about?"

Eerily, everyone's gaze seemed to stray downwards at the exact same time. Seconds too late, she realized what they were looking at.

She was still holding Hope's hand.

They all started laughing again when she obviously realized it. Luckily, they were all too busy congratulating each other about how they 'finally managed to get those two alone' to see how Lightning was still holding on, and tugged a blushing Hope aside.

"Um, sorry about this." He unenthusiastically tried to take back his hand, looking up at Lightning in surprise when she wouldn't let him.

"You know…" she murmured, glancing at their joined fingers, suddenly having a hunch as to what Hope was going to say back in that 'haunted' house. "If they went through this much trouble just to get something as platonic as holding hands, it makes me wonder if they'll team up and devise something even more elaborate for the holidays." At Hope's confused expression, she raised her eyebrows. "They'll be putting mistletoe in every doorway."

Had he been drinking something, Hope probably would've choked on it. As it was, his mouth opened a little like the breath was falling out of him. "Would…would you be okay with that?"

She suddenly heard clattering coming from nearby - probably from the others tearing down those makeshift walls in the house. The background noise of 'spooky' noises was suddenly full-blast, and Lightning had to learn in close for her response, squeezing his hand as she spoke.

"You'll find out."

Suddenly, she couldn't wait for the next stupid plan the others would inevitably come up with.


	19. happiness

**happiness; au**

It seemed to Lightning that happiness came in the simplest, least amount of words. She didn't need big, drawn-out speeches or dramatic declarations - it had come as surprising enough when Hope uttered three little words that made both her lips and heart smile.

_"I love you."_

They'd kept things just as simple throughout their relationship. Despite all of their differences, there was little cause or need for any dramatics, mostly because Lightning simply wasn't that kind of person. She would have gladly settled into a comfortable life with Hope that, above all, included each other.

He seemed to agree…only he felt the need to take them to the next level with four words that were clear as day.

_"Will you marry me?"_

And her one-worded answer came in an even easier word.

_"Yes."_

Despite Serah's protests, even their wedding wasn't a huge, dramatic affair. In Lightning's eyes, the point was to celebrate the fact that she and Hope were bonded forever. She didn't need anything lavish for that.

Their marriage also did nothing to dispel their quiet little happiness - if anything, it strengthened it. There were some bad days here and there, but for the most part, they found themselves in a blessed little cocoon of their own. Lightning figured it would always be like that; just the two of them.

…At least, until one evening when she approached Hope with a little piece of plastic in her hands, the corners of her lips just barely twitching in an effort not to smile as she showed him the little plus sign on the screen, proving again that happiness needed only few words.

_"It's positive."_


	20. innocence

**innocence; au**

Hope had always considered himself a fairly well-rounded guy - a little sheltered, perhaps, even when he was nineteen and supposed to be running around having the time of his life. Not that it mattered, since his plan had always been to put his career first and build himself a nice life.

But then he'd met Lightning.

Sure, at first they'd tried to resist. The only way to get rid of temptation, though, is to give in to it.

And _oh_, how he'd given in…

Lightning wasn't some fleeting crush he had in school that made him all nervous at the thought of kissing. No, she was a woman in every sense of the word, unintentionally determined to break the shell he'd been hiding in this whole time.

She succeeded, too. Even just after the first night, when some unknown rush of desire he'd _never_ felt before made him cover her skin in lusty, fiery kisses, she'd responded with even more vigor. Hope had gladly surrendered when she tackled him to the bed, her own hands and mouth all over him.

Anyone else would say that he was crazy, but Hope knew better. Being with Lightning might have shattered his smart boy sensibilities, but it also allowed him to share her harder view on the world.

After all, nothing was perfect…except being with her.

* * *

Thank you so much for all of your reviews so far!


	21. silence

**silence; what should totally be the Lightning Returns universe**

Dreams were the masters of playing tricks on the mind. The sick part was that most of the time, the world inside your head was so inviting that you didn't realize you were dreaming at all.

And even if you did, it was a chore to wake up.

So Lightning chose not to. Yes, it was dark and lonely here, for the most part…but at the same time, it was easy. She no longer had to fight an endless battle. Sometimes in this cold, dark world, she was able to feel Serah's spirit. It was a comfort knowing that her memory still survived.

Once in awhile, in the midst of the dreams, she could hear another voice - a man's voice. It sounded vaguely familiar and incredibly comforting. In fact, hearing it made her less afraid of the loneliness she experienced in her dreamland, and sometimes she ached to answer and provide him the same comfort he was giving her.

But she could not.

And as Hope trailed off in his words after speaking to Lightning's crystalized form - a plea for her to return to them, as always - he was only met with silence.


	22. smile

**smile; au**

When he was greeted by cruel, cruel sunlight in the morning, usually Hope's first instinct was to bury his face in his pillow for a few more precious minutes of sleep. But now, most of the time there was someone there to block him from doing so.

Not that she knew it, of course.

Hope shifted his body a little as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, a small smile forming on his face at the sight of Lightning curled up next to him. Her bangs had fallen to obscure most of her face, but there was no hiding her serene expression - the sort he was sure most people had when they were asleep, but it looked especially relaxed on her.

His eyes softened a bit as he continued to gaze at her, eventually reaching out with a gentle touch and brushing her hair away from her face. Whether it was the motion or just her body clock, he found himself staring into those lovely blue eyes a few moments later, inwardly chuckling at her natural disorientation when she woke up.

But the quiet was well worth it when he was rewarded with her gentle smile, the kind she only gave to him in the mornings. It was a sight he'd grown so used to after waking up that he wondered how he'd ever done without it.

"Good morning," he murmured, fingers trailing down the side of her face.

Lightning hummed a little in response, eyes closed again in comfort at the touch, clearly relishing in it. "Morning." She scooted a bit closer, arm snaking around his waist as she sighed in utter contentment against his neck.

Hope smiled again, moving his hand to stroke her hair. It was strange for the two of them to remain to still and quiet, he knew, but he wouldn't trade these lazy mornings or precious time with her for anything.


	23. tears

**tears; au kinda**

Though it should have been common knowledge that working with time would be dangerous, it'd never really crossed their minds that it would have an effect like this. After all, Hope was making scientific breakthroughs that most people never would have dared to even dream about. Many of his discoveries had revolutionized the world.

No one had warned them that messing with time would come to this.

_Degradation_, they'd called it. Lightning though the doctors just made up a word - a fitting one, unfortunately - because they'd obviously never seen this before. Hope had been in the hospital for months without any real kind of diagnosis.

Until now.

Hope just stared at his doctor - the doctor who'd been working tirelessly to diagnose him - as he explained that Hope's line of work had apparently sent his body into a state of confusion. His organs, his blood, everything in his system - except his mind, apparently - believed him to be decades older than he was.

And now, to add onto already grave news, they'd found out his vitals were failing.

There was no recovering from that.

"We're so sorry," the doctor said, keeping his head bowed slightly as though that would ease the blow. Lightning wanted to punch him. Instead, she stared at the wall in disbelief as though she hadn't heard a single word at all, which immediately told her something was wrong. Lightning didn't ignore trouble. She faced it head on.

But apparently even _she_ had a breaking point.

When the doctor left after more technical babble and more stupid condolences, the silence she and Hope found themselves in was, well…grave. She didn't want to think. She _couldn't_ think.

And yet, when she finally turned to meet her husband's gaze, she really saw it - his pale, ghastly skin; his sunken-in, hollow face; his rapidly thinning body and - oh gods, he really was…

"…I'll be right back," Lightning said suddenly and quickly. Too quickly, really - enough for Hope to notice even in the state he was in. She didn't care; she just needed to get away as soon as possible.

"Light…"

"I'll be right back," she repeated, her tone now much more shaky. It was inevitable after hearing his voice - it was so apologetic, so…_set_, like he'd known all along that this was going to happen.

No. No, no, no.

She shot up and got out of the room without a sound, managing to keep it together long enough to find an empty room a few feet down the hallway. After closing the door behind her, it was barely a second before a deep sob escaped her as she sank down to the floor, back against the door and knees to her chest.

The noise sounded alien to her. She couldn't even remember crying so hard at her parents' funerals, not with sobs that wracked her entire body with pain and leaving her literally gasping for air. It felt as though it was causing pain to her very soul. Endless tears escaped her eyes and tracked own her face, and she didn't bother to try and control them. There was no use.

Why did something like this have to be what finally broke her?


	24. misfortune

**misfortune; in-game verse**

When she'd first awakened to see the crystalized Cocoon towering over them, most of Lightning's emotions were of relief. Her friends were safe. Serah had been brought back to her. Though there'd been a great deal of loss, millions of lives had still been saved. They all still had hope for the future.

Except for hers, since it had been lost the moment the gate opened and the darkness dragged her to Valhalla.

Even without her choice to protect Etro, even without the never-ending battle with Caius, it was all too easy to see why this realm was awash with sadness. Gazing endless at the timeline would do that to anyone, she supposed.

It was surprising. Every time Serah and Noel fixed a paradox, it should have led to a happier future, but for some reason she could not focus on that. All she could see was the misfortune that led to the desolate end of humanity.

And honestly, she was surprised at Hope's role. She watched him study tirelessly and grow into a capable young man - though it was strange to think that should she leave Valhalla, he would be older than her.

She watched him see her in the Oracle Drive, recognizing that look of determination on his face. She watched him become a leader. She saw him die, which twisted her heart in ways she hadn't known was possible, and was intensely relieved when Serah and Noel figured out it'd been a paradox all along.

And now she could see him working tirelessly on the new Cocoon…the one that Caius was planning to destroy, given the chance.

Lightning knew she could not let that happen. For the sake of the empty future that loomed ahead…she could not fail. None of them could.

And maybe, just maybe, when the true timeline was restored, she would be released from Valhalla and could be with her friends - her family - once again.

After all, there was a lot she and Hope had to talk about…


	25. solitude

**solitude; au**

It may have been silly, but in all honesty, one of Hope's favorite things to do was watch Lightning sleep. Maybe because it was something that didn't happen often - for as long as they'd been together, she always woke up before he did, probably out of long-born instinct from when she'd had to take care of Serah. And their days were usually so busy that when they fell into bed, they'd fall asleep together instantly.

At times, though, Hope could get away with simply closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep. It never took long to hear that slight, almost unnoticeable change in breathing from the woman next to him, but when he did hear it, he knew that was his cue.

A smile would always form on his face of his own accord at the sight next to him. When she was asleep, Lightning always looked…innocent, somehow. Vulnerable. Even _sweet, _though of course hell would freeze over before Hope ever said that to her out loud.

He thought back to when they'd first started spending the night together, and his first time watching her sleep. Lightning had been relaxed, of course, but there'd been a strange tenseness to her expression that hadn't fully gone away until much later. He attributed it to the new situation between them, or maybe it was that instinct to listen for Serah.

But now, it was gone. Now, Hope was graced with her utterly serene expression, her breathing deep and even, even when she unconsciously scooted closer to him. The fact that she could relax _completely _with him - even if she didn't fully realize it - meant more to him than he could ever really say.

Hope let out a near silent sigh as he brushed aside some of the wayward strands of hair that had fallen into Lightning's eyes. She didn't move, which made him smile - usually Lightning was alert to any kind of motion. It was the way she was.

Perhaps in sleep, she'd fallen under the same spell he had now while awake. There was no need to fear, because at this moment in the night, they may as well have been the only two people in the world.


	26. two roads

**two roads; au**

For once in his life, Hope found his mind wandering during a routine business meeting - maybe because it wasn't a typical one with the higher-ups at all, but rather what was supposed to be "date" with his "girlfriend," Alyssa. Their parents had insisted they make an appearance at some kind of function his father's company was hosting. Hope knew better than to protest.

After all, the one time he'd disobeyed had only led to the desire replaying over and over in his mind.

He'd do anything to feel her slender hands on his skin again, leaving trails of fire in their wake. No other person had ever conjured such a feeling within him from such a simple touch.

All they'd done was share a few long, heated kisses, but that night continued to plague him insistently. It didn't help that sometimes he saw her out of the corner of his eye - so close, and yet completely unreachable.

It had to stay that way. She told him they were from two different worlds. Whatever they were feeling, they could never explore it. This was the way it had to be.

Hope had never wanted to protest anything more than that.

_"Lightning…" he murmured into her neck during a particularly passionate moment. She responded with a shaky little inhale, her hands curling into the back of his shirt. It was such a minuet reaction, something anyone else would gloss over, but he completely indulged in it. Everything she did was proof that she felt the same. "Stay here tonight." His lips grazed her earlobe. "Please."_

_Despite the way she pulled him closer, her head shook a little. "You can't. You know that."_

_"No one would know."_

_"But I would." With obvious reluctance, she pulled away enough to look him in the eye. They spoke of all of the insecurity she never outwardly displayed, and the strength of the woman within. _

_…Not to mention the need. The need for _him, _for the two of them to be together._

_"Please."_

_She shook her head again. "Your family would never approve of me. And I - "_

_"Don't say it." He attempted to silence her with a kiss, but the words came anyway._

_"…I'm not good enough for you. You have a lot going for you. I'd just get in your way."_

_"How could you get in my way when you're by my side?"_

_That sentence seemed to strike a chord in her. Lightning stared at him with widened eyes, and he could tell that she so badly wanted to say yes. They wanted to experience the fire between them, instead of the mere spark they felt between others. _

_To his surprise, she reached up and grasped the collar of his shirt, pulling their lips together in a somewhat hesitant kiss, but he realized it was just because of what she wanted to say._

_"…One night."_

_It was more than he could have ever dared to hope for, and yet he knew it would never be enough. His heart, his body, his very _soul _knew that life would be a mere shadow of what it could be unless he had Lightning beside him._

_But he knew he couldn't ask for more. Instead, he leaned down and captured her lips heatedly, answering with a wordless agreement before it came in an unnecessary whisper._

_"One night."_

There was no way he could ever forget that night. Hope replayed it over and over and over in his mind, along with the fact that he _had _to break off this arrangement with Alyssa. He knew their families would not like it. There was the possibility he would get disowned, or written out of the will. He could lose everything by choosing to be with someone who, as far as the high-class business world went, was nobody.

Except, of course, to him.

Hope watched Lightning go through the motions of her menial server job as the conversation around them progressed to something he didn't care to pay attention to. It didn't matter to him anymore.

The road to something far more worthwhile was one he would gladly walk.


	27. all that i have

**all that i have; …uhh, extreme au of lightning returns? idek. also nsfw sorta**

People generally reacted to crisis in different ways. Some panicked. Some planned. Others ended themselves before the end could come to them.

The rest seized every opportunity they could while the world was still standing.

"Less than twelve hours, Light," Hope murmured against her ear, taking in the obvious shudder that went down her spine. "We're doomed."

"Get off of me," she hissed, but her struggle to leave his near-hold was halfhearted at best. He wasn't even quite touching her - his hands were against the wall behind her, pinned on either side of her head. Despite the fact that all he wanted to do was press every part of himself against her, there was still half a damn inch between their bodies.

She was close. So damn _close._

"We have to face it," he continued in a low voice, now touching her with his lips only as they lightly grazed the shell of her ear. It was difficult to believe that the rest of humanity around them was in such a panic while the two of them were hidden away in this dark, secluded room. "We can't help them. We failed our mission."

"You - " A gasp she could not contain interrupted her as Hope's lips traveled further down. Damn him for being so tall now. "You act like it's _nothing, _like you don't - "

"But I do understand." His lips pressed to her neck, right over her rapid pulse. It was the only sign he was getting through to her at all. "We have power from the God himself. We would need to expend it _all _to save humanity, and the God would be _very _unhappy." He sighed, the breath caressing her skin. "We're _unnatural, _Light. A rescued world doesn't approve of that."

There was a beat of silence. "Do you mean - "

His lips were on hers before she could finish the dreaded words. It was a fiery, passionate kiss, one born of utter desperation. He half expected for Lightning to pull away, to tell him that he was completely wrong.

Instead, she grabbed him, yanking his body close so their hips slammed together.

All trace of doubt evaporated.

How long had he dreamed of this? How long had he wished for her hands on him, undoing the least amount of clothing they could get away with? Of course it had to be _now, _when they were both doomed no matter what the outcome, but he didn't care. The groan that escaped his throat when she rocked against him testified to that.

_God, _he just didn't care.

He buried himself within her and she clung to him for dear life, fingers digging into each other's skin and fabric. The world around them was desperate, but _their _desperation was the only thing that mattered. Every touch, every shuddering noise she made only urged him on harder until she was crying out in a way so unlike herself, as though _this _was the real end of it all.

Not for the first time, Hope damned these roles they'd been given. If he could have been blissfully unaware of the bigger picture, if he could have wished all time would end right _now _without knowing _everything _else, he would've wished for nothing more.

At least now, as her lips captured his in a frenzy, they could hide their guilt behind wandering hands, behind touches that burned and their joined bodies that only screamed _now._

They were doomed, anyway. If the God won, his borrowed power would return to him. If the Chaos finalized its corruption, they would all cease to exist no matter what.

All they had was each other, and he would take her until the very end.


	28. blood

**blood; uhhh, i'll say an au of the game-verse**

Though life on Pulse was still tough after the Fall, it was the good sort of tough. People learned to work together and fend for themselves, which was worth more than anything.

For Hope, it'd been a bit difficult to adapt to hunting without his l'cie powers. He found that he preferred being the brains behind the operation rather than the brawn, but there were times when his knowledge of Pulse was needed out on the field.

Of course, Lightning was completely the opposite. She'd quickly adjusted to having no magic, and her skills as a soldier seemed even better than before.

They weren't perfect, though.

"Light!"

Hope dashed over to her, eyes wide with horror as she shot down the wolf that'd just attacked her. Even after all these years of going on hunts together, it never got easier to see her hurt.

"I'm fine." Lightning scowled a little at the corpse that was now lying a few feet away from her. "I just got careless."

"You're not fine," Hope said when she'd turned around. There was a long, bloody gash on the side of her leg, probably from the claws of the wolf. Though he could tell it wasn't serious, it still didn't sit right for her to be wounded.

Lightning stuck out her leg and glanced at the wound, taking a few steps as though to judge how bad it was. To the surprise of them both, she hissed in pain a moment later and stumbled a little. She would have fallen had Hope not been right there to catch her.

He stiffened in surprise, his arms around her in what he hoped was a supportive manner, though he couldn't help but tighten his grip slightly when she didn't move, finally speaking after it'd been quiet for some time. "…Light?"

Weirdly enough, she chuckled in response, the noise somewhat muffled by his shirt. "I'll still never figure out how you got so tall."

Hope relaxed a bit, a small smile forming on his face. "That's kinda what happens when you grow up." Much to his reluctance, he loosened his hold on her and looked down at her leg again. "You've got your first-aid kit, right?"

"Naturally."

"Of course." Hope smiled again. "Silly me. C'mon, we gotta find a place to get you fixed up."

Lightning glanced around, eventually gesturing towards a rock slab that was big enough for the two of them. It was only about fifty feet away, but the second she let go of Hope to limp over there, he knew there was no way he could settle for that.

Before she could protest, he'd gone back beside her, only to quickly scoop her up bridal-style, chuckling at her immediate protest, though unbeknownst to him, it was mostly because he actually had the height and strength to pick her up.

"Hope, you don't have to - "

"Don't worry about." He smiled gently, readjusting his hold on her and being mindful of her leg as he arms looped slowly around his neck. "I've got you."

She gazed at him for a moment, her head cocked a bit as they made their way over to the rock slab. Already, the pain in her leg had diminished a great deal…probably because she wasn't standing on it, thanks to him.

"…Yeah. You do."


	29. give up

**give up; what should totally be the lightning returns universe**

Though Serah had teased her in the past for being oblivious to the matters of the heart, Lightning was sure she wasn't being so dense now. It'd been easy to imagine that she was overthinking things every time Hope's voice caught while they were speaking through the communicators, or whenever he took a moment to compliment her on something. He was just being his usually, friendly self, she told herself.

Being friendly wasn't a luxury she could afford. She needed to keep her distance and focus on the task at hand. Though she addressed him rather formally - by 'Mr. Hope Estheim', of all things - he pretty much ignored it and was completely insistent on rekindling their old friendship.

She wasn't so sure if she could.

That had shattered when they finally reunited. Twelve days had gone by since she'd woken up, which meant twelve days to wonder in the back of her mind how this would go.

She hadn't expected him to practically leap forward and pull her into a tight hug - one completely reminiscent of when she'd done the same centuries ago.

Whether it was because she'd returned the embrace or something else, to her displeasure, he'd soon backed away and laughed awkwardly, his hands remaining on her shoulders for a second too long.

Not that she minded.

But now he was _talking, _and while it was extremely nice to hear his voice without it being skewed by technology, she realized she felt…impatient. His tone and the topic were so formal - like now it was his turn to keep his distance. He talked about Bhunivelze, the way humanity had become stagnant, even the _weather._

The weather. They hadn't seen each other in person in centuries and Hope was prattling on and on about the _weather._

Had she read him completely wrong? She wasn't really sure. But she supposed there was one way to find out.

Lightning had completely lost track of the conversation. Hope was still talking in his usual calm, even - albeit now extremely formal - voice, but he finally shut up when she moved closer in a flash to thread her fingers his hair, bringing their lips together.

For the briefest of moments, Hope remained stock-still. Though her own eyes were closed, she could tell his were wide with surprise. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he returned the gesture, his arms slowly moving to wrap around her waist, pulling her close.

It was an oddly sweet kiss. Hesitant, like they were testing their boundaries…which she supposed wasn't all too surprising, given the situation.

They didn't have time to waste on this. There was one more day before everything would end. One more day before everything she'd done was in vain.

…So why couldn't she bring herself to pull away?

When they eventually did part, it was only with their lips. Hope continued to hold her like he was afraid to let her go. If she was completely honest with herself, she felt the same.

And yet…

"I have to fight," she whispered. "We can't give up."

Silence. Finally, Hope nodded, resolute as he brushed his lips against hers in a semblance of a kiss that still sent a shiver down her spine.

"Just remember…you have to come back. You promised you wouldn't abandon me."

Lightning met his eyes, more surprised than anything that he actually remembered that. But it was just what she needed.

Now if she had any reason to not give up, that was it.


	30. mother nature

**mother nature; what should totally be the Lightning Returns universe**

When Chaos had inflicted the world, time stopped everywhere - not just for people, but for everything around them as well. The sun didn't set or rise and the weather didn't change. It was as though everything natural came to a screeching halt.

Needless to say, life had been more than a little surprising for Lightning since coming out of crystal stasis.

And though she'd seen Hope as an adult from watching the timeline, it still came as a shock to see this fact in person. He was tall - even taller than her now - and though he was still more brains than brawn, he was a lot more skilled in battle.

The proof was there as they relaxed somewhat after an intense fight. He looked no worse for wear, which was good - they had to rely on their ever-dwindling supply of Potions to heal most of their wounds, since they couldn't rely on time to do it for them.

They decided to take a short rest, as much as Lightning's instinct insisted that they press on. If they didn't take care of themselves, they'd be in even worse shape.

"Light?"

She blinked in surprise at Hope's voice, still stunned to hear how deep it was. "Yes?"

"…Do you really think we can do this?" He ran a hand through his hair. "We're already so short on time." Such as it was. The phrase was likely from a force of habit, she knew.

"No room for doubt," she replied without hesitation. "Once you doubt yourself, you fall. Or have you forgotten?" She eyed him with a raised eyebrow."

"No, no." For some reason, his cheeks grew a bit pink. "I just…I wish there was some sort of sign telling us we were on the right path, you know? Like you once gave to me."

Privately, Lightning couldn't help but agree. Even with a clear goal in mind…it would have been nice to know they were anywhere near achieving it.

A sudden drop of something cold startled her before she could speak, and instinctively glanced up to find the source. Something cold and wet also fell onto her forehead, then her cheek. The touches felt oddly gentle.

Hope had his hands held out, obviously feeling it too. His expression was one of complete awe with a tone to match as he spoke. "It's snowing."

Lightning was stunned as well. The absence of anything but steady, mild weather that the Chaos seemed to bring had been strange in itself, but it was even more strange to think that the laws of nature had taken over again.

The two instinctively stood close to one another - for body heat, naturally. Lightning looked up at Hope, covering his palm with her own while watching tiny snowflakes land on their hands.

"There's your sign."


	31. seeking solace

**seeking solace; au**

For much of her life, Lightning had dealt with any hardships on her own. There was no one to turn to when her mother died, and she couldn't burden Serah with her thoughts while they were struggling, since she believed it would have made things worse.

Even when Hope had come along and moseyed his way into her life, she rarely shared her pain with him. He knew about her past - enough, anyway - but she always elegantly avoided any questions he had about it. The past was the past. It should stay there, she thought.

But when she got the call from the hospital - she couldn't make out the exact words, but _Serah_ and _accident_ were involved - Lightning felt all of that self-hatred come back to get her. Not only could she not save her parents, but now she couldn't even protect her sister.

Whether Hope could sense this or not, she didn't know, but he was there. In the haze that followed of getting to the hospital, seeing Serah all bruised and battered, and being forcibly kicked out because visiting hours were over, concerned green eyes were the only constant.

He didn't ask. He didn't pry. He was simply _there_.

Maybe all along, this was all she'd really needed. Lightning had been in a few relationships prior to Hope, but none of them had ever really been there for her like he was, with no questions asked.

It was because of his unexpected kindness towards her during her worry that she just let go, letting herself willingly fall into his waiting, comforting arms, trying to hide the quiet sobs that shook her body. In the back of her mind, she was in disbelief that such a display of emotion hadn't scared him off.

Maybe it was because she was meant to be here, and he'd become the shield for her self-loathing.


	32. precious treasure

**precious treasure; game verse kinda**

Like the miracle that had taken place when Cocoon fell all those centuries ago, Hope felt as though this was also one that could have dire consequences. But whatever this unleashed Chaos would do, he selfishly thought that it was worth it.

The miracle had been Lightning's return.

Somehow, after Serah and Noel had fallen out of the gate from Valhalla, Lightning had appeared from a rift that'd broken through it. The three of them had stared in shock, but it was Hope that leaped forward to catch her in his arms, somewhat amazed that he actually _could_ now.

The astonishment was quickly doused, however, as he took in her appearance. The armor she'd been wearing in the Oracle Drive vision was almost completely shattered in most places. What remained was cracked and irreparable. Though there were no wounds on her body, it just _felt_ like she'd gone through some great battle. He wanted to ask Serah and Noel if they'd seen what had happened, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

In a solemn tone, Hope told the other two he was taking Lightning to recuperate at his condo in Academia. To his surprise, Serah didn't protest, but that may have been because he'd held her so close to him that no one else would stand a chance. He carried her like that through the roads of his desolate city, clutching her tightly as though she was the something precious he'd been searching for all this time.

And, well….she was that and so much more.


	33. sorrow

**sorrow**; **au of the game verse. sort of a continuation to 'precious treasure'**

Since coming out of the rift from Valhalla, Lightning hadn't seemed to be at all like herself. At first, Hope figured it was simply from getting used to a place where time existed once again, not to mention that now, she had nothing to physically fight for. He figured that was more jarring than anything, since as long as he'd known her, Lightning had had something to focus on; something to put her life on the line for.

But now, everything was peaceful. The timeline had been restored and they were all together again - five hundred years from when they'd thought they'd be, but nobody seemed to mind.

Except Lightning.

Honestly, though, Hope couldn't tell if the time period itself was the problem. She'd made some vague comments about the incredibly advanced technology, but otherwise seemed rather subdued. She hadn't left his condo in the time they'd been here and spent most of her days staring out the window. He kept telling himself it was because she was still recovering, but as the days passed by, he became convinced it was something more.

When he came home to find her beside the window for the fifth day in a row, he decided that it was time to find out just _what._

Hope approached her carefully, though it was a useless endeavor since Lightning didn't seem to notice him atall, even when he sat on the window seat ride beside her. She kept gazing out the window and not giving any acknowledgment that she knew he was there at all.

For a few minutes, he just stared at her, amazement once again taking over at the fact that she was really _here. _For so long - ever since he'd discovered on the Oracle Drive that she was alive - Hope had dreamed of the moment she'd be close to him again.

Though of course, his daydreams were usually a little happier than this.

"…Lightning?"

The only response he got was a slight tilt of her head. He figured that was better than nothing, so he kept talking, his tone a little hesitant.

"I realize that it's probably strange for you to be here, after your time in Valhalla, but…well, to be perfectly honest, I'm getting worried about you." He'd meant to say 'concerned', but it went far deeper than that now. "We're all really glad you came back to us. It's all we…_I've _been fighting for all these years. I just…"

Impulsively, he reached out and touched her wrist, frowning slightly when she immediately flinched. "Light…"

He expected her to pull her arm away, but instead, he saw that she was staring down at her wrist, where he was touching her. There was an odd expression on her face that seemed almost distraught with wonder, somehow.

"There isn't anyone in Valhalla," she said softly. Hope had to move closer in order to hear, trying not to look surprised at her tone - so unlike the steady one he'd always heard from her. "No one human, anyway. There's no time. Nothing. It's a vast eternity of nothingness."

He squeezed her wrist a little in sympathy. "Then why did you fight for so long?"

"You know me, Hope." She paused, looking up wit surprised in her eyes, like it'd just dawned on her. _Yes. He knew her. _"It was my reason for existing. It's been like that for a long time…or perhaps, not so long, I guess." She shook her head a little. "If anything, it was a distraction from the nothingness. It made me feel like my old self for awhile."

"Lightning - "

"It's been so long since I've felt human." To his absolute shock, he saw a tear trickle out of the corner of her eye. She squinched them shut as though to keep any more from escaping, but it didn't work. Her other hand rested on top of his. "Even just the simplest of touches from someone else…I've forgotten what it was like. It makes me wonder if I'm even human at all anymore."

"You are." Hope found himself leaning in without thinking about it, his free hand cupping Lightning's face so his thumb could brush away her tears. A nearly inaudible gasp came from her as she leaned into his hand like there was no greater comfort. "I can help you with that. I'll help to remind you about, if it's all right with you."

Her eyes opened slowly to meet his, though she didn't move except to meet his gaze - and neither did he. She needed to see it, he thought. She needed to realize that as desperately as he'd been searching for her all this while…perhaps she'd been searching for him, as well.

Shock widened his eyes for a second when she abruptly leaned up and crushed their lips together. It wasn't a kiss laced with romance or passion - much of it, anyway - but a way for them both to _feel _again. And Hope would make her feel like herself again.

…In whatever way she needed.


	34. under the rain

**under the rain; au**

Besides the obvious, Hope felt that he was lucky in many ways. Not only was he with Lightning, the most gorgeous woman in the world, but she also _didn't_ expect grand, romantic gestures that a lot of other females seemed to demand. And unlike others that were just being coy and simply _saying_ they didn't want anything (but really, totally did), Hope knew that Lightning meant it.

This was especially true for Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year. Lightning had told him multiple times in the no-nonsense tone he'd grown to know and love that she didn't want or need anything. No chocolates, no flowers, no jewelry, no chalky-tasting candy hearts with funny sayings on them. Period.

On one hand, Hope was glad that he didn't have to come up with anything grand and stress himself out year after year trying to top it. On the other, the holiday existed for a reason, and he felt like he needed to do _something_ for her. Maybe not something over the top, but just something that was just a little more extra special than normal.

He thought he'd come up with the perfect thing - a walk in the park that they'd visited during one of their first dates. Common enough to not be a super amazing gesture, but different enough for celebrating purposes.

Yes, it was perfect.

…Until the downpour started.

They were lucky in the fact that they'd been near a bench with an awning over it to shield them from the worst of it…which, really, was pretty bad. It'd started out as a drizzle, but now sheets of rain were steadily pouring down.

Hope had been sitting next to Lightning for quite awhile as they waited it out, not saying anything for fear of sounding dumb, but of course, Lightning said it all when she actually spoke.

"…You and your ideas."

She wasn't mad, that much was obvious. More like exasperated, with a tinge of _this is why you listen to me, because I'm always right._

"I'm sorry," Hope replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Impulsively, he reached for her hand, relaxing slightly when she twined their fingers together. "I just thought, you know, it'd be a nice way to celebrate."

"I keep telling you that we don't need to." She sighed a little, scooting over a bit closer and looking at him. "We don't need one day in particular to have us say how we feel about each other." With an added little smile that surprised him, she continued, "…After all, you do that every day."

For the millionth time, Hope wondered how the hell he'd gotten so lucky. "True." He leaned in and kissed her, smiling against her lips when she returned it ardently. "Very true."

"If you ever insist on doing something more celebratory, I say we should keep it between us." She glanced around at the rain. "Not that there's anyone here, I suppose."

"Is that a hint?" He chuckled when she flicked him in the forehead, "Okay, okay. Any holiday celebrating is kept minimal to the two of us." He tilted his head and met her lips again, this kiss much deeper, taking care to linger over her lips in that way that always made her sigh in contentment.

"Got it."


	35. eyes

**eyes; au**

After what seemed like years of noise and people running around, it was finally quiet. Lightning knew it was likely to be her last moment of true silence for years to come, but for once, she didn't mind.

There was always one great exception to anything, after all.

Right now, however, she was certainly grateful for it. The physical pain of bringing another person into the world - not to mention the mental strain - pretty much demanded some quiet for recovery.

Had it been worth it?

When Hope slowly pushed the door to her hospital room open several minutes later, needing to use his shoulder since his arms were full, she was inclined to say _yes. _Completely worth it.

"You're awake." He sounded surprised, but looked happy enough. Ecstatic, really. _That _wasn't much of a shock.

"Barely," she replied teasingly, but a tiny noise from the bundle of blankets stopped her from carrying the teasing further. A small smile stretched across her lips. "Is he awake?"

"About as much as you are, I think." Hope grinned, carefully transferring the bundle to his wife's arms, which had automatically stretched out. She brushed back the blankets, her smile widening further when their son's face came into view for the first time.

For a minute, all Lightning could do was stare. The hesitance she'd had for her entire pregnancy - because she was convinced that her child would end up hating her - vanished, replaced by extreme feelings of love and awe, things she'd only ever felt for Serah and Hope.

Perhaps it was a family thing.

To her delight, the newborn's eyes opened a moment later. Hope scooted closer from his spot on the bed, his own smile a mile wide. "_Now _he's awake."

"So it seems." She stared some more, still somewhat in awe that she was now wholly responsible for this person that was half her, half Hope. "…He has your eyes."

It was true. While the color was that blue typical of babies, somehow she knew they'd eventually change to that shade of green she adored. It wasn't just that, either - the shape was the same, and there was an inquisitive spark that was reminiscent of what was often in his father's eyes.

Hope cocked his head curiously. "You think so?"

"I do." Lightning smiled as the baby shifted in her arms.

"Hmmm." Hope snaked an arm around her shoulders, the other hand on their son, somehow managing to say a million things about his protection and role in their lives without saying a word. "You seem pretty happy about that."

"Why wouldn't I?" she replied without thinking, her gaze still on the baby. "I love your eyes."

Hope only answered with a smile that Lightning didn't see. She couldn't stop staring at this amazing combination of the two of them. It was likely that uncertainty would grip her again later on, but for now, she could only train her eyes on love.


	36. family

**family; au**

Something Lightning hadn't expected when she became a mother was how her protectiveness would surge to insane new heights. When she'd been pregnant, a part of her had figured that she'd raised Serah for much of her life, so this would be one in the same.

It wasn't.

Sure, there were similarities, but Lightning quickly found that she was far more protective over her son than she ever had been over Serah, even though back then she'd been alone. Now that she had Hope by her side, it'd be logical for her to relax a bit, but naturally, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Light, he'll be fine. The doctor said it was just a cold, right?"

Lightning hummed, a weird noise that wasn't quite one of agreement. "Yes, but…" She sighed when Soren let out a massive sneeze that just added to his general miserable self. "…He's never had one for this long before. Maybe it's something more."

"Or maybe it's just a particularly nasty one." Hope was aware that, after five years of marriage and two years of being a parent, that he was unlikely to change his wife's mind. But that didn't mean he couldn't try. "We'll just give him the meds and let him sleep. You'd like that, wouldn't ya, little guy?" Hope grinned, lightly ruffling his son's hair. Soren made a sickly little happy noise, always happy to have attention from his father.

"…I guess." Still, Lightning wasn't convinced, but instead of arguing more, she glanced up at a clock on the wall. "Though speaking of the medicine, it's time for his next dose. Distract him, would you?"

"Got it." Hope grinned some more as he tickled his son's sides, though that didn't last long when Soren's giggly laughter was punctuated with more coughing. It _did _sound pretty bad, but not terrible. "Your mom's a worrier sometimes," he murmured, playfully ruffling Soren's hair.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing." Hope's eyes flickered over to Lightning and he gave her a sheepish little smile. "Come on, while he's in a good mood."

Vaguely, Lightning recalled the years when Serah had been sick when she was younger. It'd been damn near impossible to get her sister to take any sort of medicine, but luckily, Soren didn't inherit that little trait from his aunt. Or maybe Hope really _had _been distracting. At any rate, Soren took the dose without a problem.

"There we go," she murmured, her voice softening affectionately. Her eyes flickered to Hope when Soren yawned in response. "I'll put him to bed, if you want."

Hope shook his head. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind having both of us here." They'd all been sitting on the edge of Soren's bed, so Hope scooted himself up and over to one side to lay down, leaving more than enough room for his son and wife. "Right?"

"…Right."

Soren babbled something happily, though the noise was awfully congested - honestly, sometimes Lightning couldn't wait until he started talking in full words just so she could understand him better. As it was, it was damn near impossible when he was so ill.

It only took a minute to settle into the bed. Soren was more than willing to snuggle under the covers with his parents right there, which made it a lot easier. Lightning gently rested a hand on his chest, like she could send in some kind of healing power to ease his sickness.

"He'll be okay," Hope murmured, sending her a smile. When Soren's eyes closed minutes later, he leaned over him to give his wife a quick kiss. "Don't worry."

Honestly, it was impossible _not _to worry. Lightning had always put the well-being of her family above everything else.

But at least this time, she thought as she reached for Hope's hand with her free one, she wouldn't go at it alone.


	37. relaxation

**relaxation; au**

For as long as she could remember, Lightning's mornings had always been busy. From the time she'd been tasked with taking care of Serah, it'd always been a rush to get them ready and out of the house to get on with their days.

That hadn't changed much when Hope came along. His line of work was very demanding, so there were actually rare times when he'd get out of bed before she did. Busy mornings were _especially _a constant after she'd had their son, Soren.

All of this may have very well been why Lightning felt oddly antsy waking up one Saturday morning, immediately struck with the fact that there were no plans for the day. It was a weekend, so they both had off from work. Though she kept an ear out, Soren was blessedly still asleep, a remarkable feat for a two-year-old child. If she didn't want to, there was no reason to get out of bed.

As much as instinct protested, Lightning had to admit that there was something to be said about just laying in bed…especially after she looking to her side and caught sight of her sleeping husband.

She rolled over onto her side, away from the sight of her alarm clock, so that she could face Hope. A smile formed on her lips at his sleeping face, and wondered not for the first time how someone like him had found her.

As though responding to her thoughts, a minute later, Hope's eyes fluttered open. He looked a little disoriented for a moment, like anyone did when they woke up, but quickly noticed his wife and gave her a smile in return, scooting closer for a morning kiss.

"Morning, love," he murmured. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly, punctuating that with another lazy kiss. He hummed quietly in response, definitely not protesting when Lightning nudged him so that he was lying on his back. When their lips separated, she made herself comfortable on his naked chest by folding her arms on top of him and resting her chin on them, giving an oddly serene sigh when she was finally settled.

She chuckled at the confused look on Hope's face. "What is it?"

He shrugged slightly, raising a hand so that he could brush her hair out of her eyes. "You just look really comfortable, that's all."

"Hard not to be."

"Maybe." He smiled. "I wouldn't mind having more mornings like this."

"Me neither." Light's eyes drifted closed, lulled by the soothing motion of Hope's hand. "Maybe we should pencil them in."

She heard a low chuckle in reply. "Kinda defeats the purpose, don't you think?"

Lightning made a noise that could have been an agreement, but even she wasn't sure. Though there wasn't a day that went by where she didn't voice or show her appreciation for Hope, this was somehow…different. She'd never been more comfortable as she was right now, with her warm human pillow.

Funny how less than ten years ago, she never would have imagined she could feel so relaxed with someone other than Serah…and even with Serah, she'd never felt serenity quite like this.

How long she lay there in comfortable silence with him, she didn't know, but it was only the sound of their bedroom door creaking open that made her lift her head.

Of course, she knew who it was. Lightning smiled and rolled off of Hope, scooting to the edge of the bed where their son was standing, his arms raised and hands making reflexive grabby motions.

"Hmm." She hoisted him up with a little grunt, wondering when he'd gotten so big. The moment she plopped him between the two of them, Soren immediately scooted over to his father. "Looks like someone wanted to say good morning."

"Guess so." Hope grinned, of course returning the affection.

Lightning watched the two of them with a smile, playfully poking Soren's forehead. "What are you supposed to do when you want to go into a room that has the door closed?" She hid a chuckle at the toddler babble that was her answer. At least it _vaguely _sounded like the word 'knock'. "That's right. So remember to do that next time, okay?"

Hope quirked an eyebrow when Soren basically paid no mind and continued snuggling up to them. "Dinner says that he doesn't remember."

She shook her head with another smile, scooting closer to the two of them so she could peck Hope's lips. Soren made a babbling protest, but it didn't drown out her answer.

"It's a date."


	38. stripes

**stripes; au-ish**

It'd become a tradition since they'd married to go out to the same restaurant they'd gone to before becoming engaged years ago. It was a fancy little place on the edge of town that emphasized more on atmosphere than food…but the food was certainly something to brag about as well.

One of Hope's favorite things about this particularly yearly date of theirs was when they got ready together before going out. His eyes would slide towards Lightning looking at her side of the closet, smiling when she would finally pick out an outfit - usually a dress she'd forgotten she owned. Then she would disappear to the bathroom to get ready, since this date was one of the rare times she would wear makeup.

She had gone just to do that, leaving Hope to shrug himself into his pants and button-down shirt. After a moment, he decided to wear the suit jacket as well and lay it carefully on the bed, turning back to the closet to select a tie.

He'd decided between two when Lightning came back to the bedroom. A slow, rather affectionate smile formed on his face at the sight of her in a dark blue dress with a pleated skirt that ended above her knees. She wasn't wearing a lot of makeup, at least as far as he could tell, but whatever she'd put on accentuated her eyes beautifully.

"Hello, lovely," he murmured, unable to resist pulling her close for a kiss. He could feel her smile against his lips, though the little chuckle that escaped her confused him a bit when they eventually pulled away. "What is it?"

"That's exactly why I don't wear lipstick," she replied with a smirk.

"Good call on your part." He grinned, planting another quick kiss to those irresistible lips of hers.

She rolled her eyes, but it was with a smile, though it faded slightly at her husband's state of dress. "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost." Hope held out the ties he'd narrowed down. "Stripes or solid?"

Lightning's eyes flickered between the two pieces of fabric, eventually grasping the striped tie. "This one."

"Okay." He smiled, reaching out to take it so he could put it on, but to his surprise, Lightning suddenly started to do so for him. "Uh, Light…?"

"Yes?"

"…What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Her fingers moved in surprisingly quick, efficient motions. Hope was mesmerized by what he could see, but then something occurred to him.

"I didn't even know you knew how to tie a tie."

"I learned when I was starting out in the Corps." Her eyes remained on the task, though they looked a little less playful, maybe from being lost in memories. "The cadet uniforms required you wear a tie."

"…How'd you learn?" he asked curiously. Maybe someone in her unit had taught her or something.

"I taught myself." She tugged the final knot into place. "On my first day there, I couldn't really do it that well. It was crooked and looked like I'd just thrown it on there with no care at all." Her fingers drifted down over Hope's tie. "Little did I know, there was a uniform inspection that day."

His eyes widened. "Did they let you off the hook? I mean, it was your first day and all."

"Tch. No. Stuff like that didn't matter." She shrugged. "I was called out in front of everyone. It was humiliating." Her hands paused, resting on his clothed sides. "I looked up how to properly tie one in a book that night, and practiced until I could do it in my sleep. I wasn't going to let something as ridiculous as a tie stop me from earning my place."

"You did and then some," he assured her, taking her hands in his own to bring them to his lips. A sweet sort of satisfaction hit him at the love and appreciation in her gaze when she met his eyes. "So don't worry. I certainly won't call you out if you ever happen to tie my tie wrong."

She smiled. "Good to know." A smirk formed on her lips. "Maybe you should wear them more."

"How come?"

"It makes it easier to do this." She slipped her hands from his, only to lightly grip the striped fabric around her husband's neck, gently tugging him down for a kiss. He eagerly obliged, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her closer with a pleased little hum.

There was a slow, easy grin on his face when they pulled away for breath some time later. "Guess I've got a wardrobe update to make."


	39. fortitude

**fortitude; au**

Besides the obvious, Hope had always figured there wasn't much difference between men and women. They were all people and that was what mattered, right?

Now though, he wondered if they were different after all. Woman _had_ to have some kind of super strength, because if he was in Lightning's position right now, there was no way in hell he'd be able to take it as well as she was.

…And that was definitely saying something, considering she'd squeezed his hand so harshly it was now numb. He was pretty sure it was fractured, too.

But it was worth it.

Now if only he could convince Lightning of that.

"You're doing great so far," he tried to reassure her, using his free hand to brush aside the bangs that'd plastered themselves to her sweaty forehead. Lightning glared at him at the kind words, sounding positively homicidal when she spoke.

"I just want to get this over with." She was about to say something else, but all that came out was a pained groan - one of many he'd been hearing all night.

"I know."

"_No_, you don't!" Lightning's hand squeezed his harshly, and he had to wonder how she still had the strength to do so after all the pain she'd been in all night. "You're not the one dealing with this crap, and I swear, if the stupid doctor says it'll be a 'few more hours' _one more time_, I'm going to kill her!"

Hope was suddenly extremely glad they were never going to go through this again.

To both of their surprise, the doctor returned just moments after Lightning's rant, like she'd heard her. After some poking and prodding, she declared with a smile that it was time. Hope was suddenly filled with anticipation and nervousness.

"You can do this," he reassured his wife, somehow managing to use his likely-fractured hand to squeeze hers.

"If you say so," she hissed, her pain all too obvious. Once again, Hope found it rather admirable. There was no way he would've been able to handle it for this long. And his hand was numb, so that didn't really count.

The next stretches of time were filled with Lightning's grunts of annoyance and the doctor and nurse's insistence to push. All Hope could do was encourage her, even when her free fist when flying during what was obviously a particularly brutal spasm and accidentally clocked him in the jaw. Nobody noticed, least of all Lightning, who was muttering out a random string of curses in a hissed voice.

It was only when the tension left her what seemed like hours later and Hope heard a screaming cry that he realized what all of her pain had _really_ been for. His fractured hand was worth it. The bruise on his jaw was worth it. And judging from the dazed look on her face, the contractions and hormonal emotions and nine months of feeling like crap were worth it.

When the doctor was finished with her, Lightning carefully sat up against the pillows, looking exhausted. Honestly, Hope was still amazed. He would've passed out from the sheer exhaustion, really.

His amazement only grew when a nurse approached them, happily setting a bundle of blankets into Lightning's ready arms. She leaned back a little, still obviously out of it - at least until a little smile formed on her face.

"Soren Estheim," she murmured at the newborn, running a thumb over his cheek before looking up at Hope. "Right?"

He smiled in return. "Right."

He had no idea what kind of parents they'd end up making. At least with Lightning, he knew he'd be brave enough to take up the challenge.


	40. flowers

**flowers; au**

Over the course of their relationship, Hope had proven himself to be romantic in his own way - he'd start the coffee if he woke up first, tuck the covers around her at night, and make sure to pick up her favorite foods if they happened to be on sale at the store that week. They were subtle ways, but Lightning didn't mind that. She loved it, really, that neither of them needed such grand or traditional gestures.

Or so she thought.

When Lightning opened her eyes in the morning, she was immediately greeted with the sight of a single, long-stemmed rose. Knowing that there was no way she or Hope would have sleepwalked to a flower shop, she assumed it was from him. A strange gesture for him to do, but a sweet one, nonetheless. She smiled, bringing the bloom to her nose and inhaling its sweet fragrance.

Hope was already out of the house, since she didn't hear anything downstairs and he'd never been all that stealthy. Lazily, she slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

…Only to find another red rose laced in the toothbrush holder.

Lightning stared at it in confusion. Perhaps Hope had meant to leave it with the other one? Or bought one too many? No matter, she figured - she twisted the stem between her fingertips, bringing both roses downstairs after she'd brushed her teeth. Maybe she could put these in a vase.

Except there already was one on the counter, with yet another single rose.

Lightning wasn't dense - she knew that Hope was up to something. She just had no idea _what_. Maybe he'd explain himself when they were both home tonight.

And oh, he had a _lot_ of explaining to do. Over the course of the day, she found eight more roses - some in the house, two in her car, and a few among her work things. She remained in a state of confusion about it for most of the day, half because she had no idea what was up Hope's sleeve and half because she was sure there was a rose missing - bouquets typically came in a dozen, and she only had eleven here.

She was rearranging them in the vase later that evening when she heard the front door open. Of course, it was Hope, and Lightning went to greet him with a kiss.

"How was your day?" he murmured against her lips.

She indulged in the kiss for another moment, her eyebrow quirked when she pulled away. "Confusing."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." She gestured to the vase she'd set on the mantle in the living room. "A certain someone has been sneaking these to me all day."

"Really, now." Hope grinned and went to the vase. "Looks like you need one more."

Lightning smirked and shook her head in amusement. "Looks like."

"In that case…" He reached into his back pocket and produced what she assumed was the final rose, and wondered how she missed it if it'd been sticking out this whole time. "For you."

With a breathy little chuckle, she took the rose. "What compelled you to - "

She barely realized she'd cut herself off, because upon closer examination, Lightning realized that she wasn't holding a rose. Or, well, an _actual_ one. This one was made of soft, fabric petals and a plastic stem - a fake rose.

"What's this?"

There was a little smile on his face when she glanced up. Quietly, he took the fake rose and slipped it into the vase with the other ones, taking Lightning's hand in his own and twining their fingers together. Her breath caught in her throat at his gaze, like he was staring at the most amazing thing in the world.

"I just want you to know…" Hope rested the fingertips of his free hand on the vase, "I'll love you until the last flower dies."

At first, Lightning's brow furrowed slightly in confusion, because she was sure flowers only lasted a week or two, but in the next instant, she caught sight of the fake one.

One that would last forever, no doubt.

She met his gaze as well, a smile forming at the corners of her lips as she leaned up to kiss him sweetly.

"Forever it is."


	41. foreign

**foreign; au**

Honestly, Lightning herself was not all that surprised that she was reacting to her pregnancy differently than a normal woman would. Most seemed to broadcast it to everyone they knew and post daily progress pictures on social networking sites. They would sign up with every registry and basically plan out the baby's entire first year before it even had toes.

At least, that was what Serah had done. Lightning was glad she was the exact opposite - only Serah, Snow, and of course Hope knew she was expecting at all. She wasn't even showing yet, so she felt there was no point in blabbing the news to the world.

It was so strange. She didn't have any kind of morning sickness, and her cravings hadn't been too horrible. All of the other symptoms seemed non-existent. Most of the time, she didn't feel like she was pregnant at all. If it hadn't been for the three positive home tests and a doctor's confirmation, she wouldn't have believed it.

Even stranger to think that every passing second, someone who was half of Hope was growing inside of her.

Hope, of course, was over the moon about everything. Lightning had a feeling that if he wasn't so aware of her independence, he'd be asking her if she was okay or if she needed anything every thirty seconds. As it was, when they were home together, he barely let her out of his sight and encouraged her to relax as often as possible.

She didn't tell him that sitting around when she felt fine wasn't advisable. She knew he meant well…and oftentimes, she'd get a massage out of the deal anyway.

Like right now.

Lightning sighed in contentment as Hope's hands worked their magic getting the knots and tension she hadn't even been aware of out of her back. Maybe this pregnancy was taking more out of her than she realized, but at least it was about halfway over now.

"Are you okay?"

Lightning could hear the smile and concern in his voice, which turned her answer into a content sigh. "Mmhmmm."

Hope smiled a little more, not that she was aware, and continued his slow trek over her back. "Weird."

"What is?"

"Most of your tension is up here." He gave her shoulder blades a little pat. "I thought it'd be lower down."

"That'll probably be the case the bigger I get." She sighed again. "Which I'm sure will happen in one swoop. I've looked normal enough this whole time. I'm sure this means I'll suddenly balloon up out of nowhere in the coming weeks."

"Maybe. But you'll still look beautiful."

Lightning let out a huff of amusement. Really, her looks were the least of worries, but the fact that Hope so easily reassured her was nice. She turned her head, smiling a bit at his confused expression before she leaned up to capture his lips.

It was a kiss like any other, one of the hundreds she'd shared with him over the years. For some reason, though, this particular one made her stomach flutter. There was no way she was getting _butterflies_ from simply kissing her husband, right?

"Light?"

She realized a moment later that he'd called her name and she blinked once, a slight frown on her lips with her brow furrowed. "Yes?"

He looked concerned. "Are you all right?"

"…Yeah." She shook her head a little. "Sorry, I just - "

The words were immediately cut off when she felt it again. That same weird, undeniable fluttering - but before she or Hope could say anything more, Lightning let out a little gasp of surprise at the completely surprising, new sensation.

"…Light?"

She shook her head slightly at his voice, not really hearing it. Instead, she rested a hand on her abdomen, glancing down at it with an expression that was mostly awe and tinged with a bit of fear. When she finally answered, it was in a quiet voice, like if she'd said the words loudly, it would make them less true.

"The baby's kicking."

At first Hope just stared as though she'd spoken gibberish, but when he finally replied, he sounded just as awed - maybe even more so. "It is?"

Lightning nodded slowly, her fingers curling into her shirt a little. Though her doctor had said it would happen soon, there'd been no mention of how it would feel and what it would do to her - that it finally clicked that she and Hope were _really_ having a child together. There was a _person_ under her hand right now.

Wordlessly, she reached for his hand and pressed it to her stomach, right over where she felt the kicking. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face when it happened a few more times, eventually turning her head to see Hope wearing an expression similar to hers - one of utter awe and joy. There wasn't any fear, but she supposed it was some motherly instinct on her part.

"Wow," Hope breathed out, a grin forming on his face. "That's - _wow_."

"Tell me about it."

He chuckled quietly, adjusting his hand a bit. "That must feel really weird."

She hummed in agreement. "I've never felt anything like it before."

Hope smiled and moved a bit closer, resting his hand on top of hers and threading their fingers together so they could both feel the kicks. "This is going to be our life."

"…It is." And Lightning found, with some surprise, that that simple statement took care of most of her fear. After all, if she had Hope…what was there to be scared of?


	42. hold my hand

**hold my hand; au**

Lightning figured she might have been a little biased, considering it was her hometown and all, but she thought that Bodhum was really the perfect place for a family vacation. Even without their annual fireworks ceremony, there were a lot of little shops to explore - not to mention the beach, which seemed to be her husband and son's favorite part.

She sat up on her beach towel, legs stretched out in front of her as she watched the shore with a little smile. Even though Soren was tall for a four year-old, Hope still had him sitting up on his dad's shoulders as the waves crashed around them. They weren't even really moving too much, but Hope had gone into deep enough waters that the waves managed to often hit the bottom of Soren's feet, which made him squeal in delight.

It was so strange. Five years ago, she never would have imagined herself in this position. She and Hope had never discussed having kids when they'd gotten married, but it'd slowly become obvious that he wanted one badly. Somehow, she'd managed to convince herself that she wouldn't be a terrible mother. Soren was slowly proving her right.

"Mommy!"

Lightning blinked in surprise when she suddenly had a lapful of soaking-wet son, apparently having been so lost in thought that she hadn't realized the boys had returned to the towels. She smiled, settling Soren in her lap. "Have fun in the water?"

"Uh huh." Soren bounced in his mom's lap. "Me and Daddy saw a shark!"

"It was a clump of seaweed," Hope murmured under his breath when Lightning's eyes widened. She immediately relaxed.

"And you weren't scared?"

"Nuh-uh, 'cause Daddy could protect me." Soren hopped off of Lightning's lap, grabbing her hand instead and attempting to tug her up. "C'mooooon, Mommy! I wanna play more!"

Lightning's eyes slid over towards Hope. He grinned in response and stood up. "How about a walk instead, kiddo? We can go over to the other side of the beach. Maybe you'll see another shark."

"Yay!"

The older two smiled at their son's enthusiasm. Lightning wondered, as she rose to her feet, where he'd gotten it from. Probably from his aunt. Serah had been just as charming at his age, as Lightning could recall all too clearly.

Figuring their stuff would be fine - the beach was pretty empty, not to mention they didn't have much, anyway - the three of them began a slow stroll along the shore. Lightning and Hope stood on either side of Soren, holding his hands. Occasionally, when the surf got close enough, they'd lift him off his feet and swing him through the water, which always got a shout of glee. Even though they were both more than strong enough to lift him, Lightning couldn't help but feel like in a year or two, Soren would be too big for it. He was already growing up so fast.

Funnily enough, Lightning couldn't remember feeling so nostalgic for the past when it had just been her and Serah walking along this very same shore. Maybe because their situation hadn't been nearly as settled. All they could think about was surviving the day.

And now, with her boys, Lightning could savor each moment without thinking too heavily about how they would get through the next one. It was amazingly comforting.

Not to mention that the sight of Hope merely in swim trunks was extremely distracting.

"Seagulls!"

Though not as distracting as her son's yelling.

He tugged on their hands, trying to drag them along with him to the huge flock of seagulls on the sand about twenty feet away. When his parents didn't move fast enough, though, Soren let go and put their hands together instead, so they would still have something to hold onto.

"I'm gonna play with the seagulls! Hold on, 'kay?"

Lightning chuckled under her breath when he took off shouting out random happy noises only a child could come up with. The seagulls all flapped and flew away at their random intruder.

Hope's fingers easily twined with Lightning's at their son's insistence, a silly little smile forming on his face as she leaned against him. "Better hold on."

She smiled in return, keeping one eye on Soren as her hand melded against Hope's. "No worries there."


	43. can you hear me

**can you hear me?; what should totally be the lightning returns universe**

It was a bit ridiculous to realize that doing a bunch of menial tasks could aid in saving the world. Luckily for Lightning, she didn't have much time to think. At this point, it was instinct - retrieve the treasure, kill that monster, save that person - they were all things she'd done before.

Perhaps there was something to be said for that. What was it that she'd told Hope when they'd first become partners another lifetime ago?

_Still your mind. Move on instinct._

Perhaps that was why these last days didn't feel quite so urgent. She was so busy trying to save them that she never had a moment to spare a thought of just how fragile this whole situation really_ was._

Which was why, for the third morning - such as it was - in a row, she completely missed the clock striking six.

Honestly, it wasn't her fault. She was in the middle of an extremely intense battle, and when it was over, the adrenaline was enough to keep her going to the next task. And the next. And the next.

Battles kept her from paying attention to most of what was around her. _Focus on your ultimate goal and shut out everything else. _It was why she didn't say anything to Hope, even though she knew he was talking to her through the communicators.

_"Light, where are you?"_

_"Can you hear me?"_

_"It's almost six-thirty!"_

_"C'mon, Light, answer me!"_

When she finally collected the spoils from a particularly brutal battle, she finally answered, but she was already regretting it before either of them said a word.

"Light, where are you?!"

"Hope." Lightning sighed. "You should know, right?"

"I don't at the moment," he admitted, sounding a bit guilty. "I've been waiting here for a half an hour and preparing for your return."

"….Sorry." Honestly, she wasn't really feeling all that apologetic. There was no question that she was grateful to have Hope on her side - someone who, even after everything, she trusted unconditionally. Getting through all of these missions would have been extremely difficult without his advice.

But she still didn't see the advantage of reporting to him at 6A.M. - sharp! - every single morning, _especially _when she was on a roll.

Hope sighed in an irritated manner that, if she chose to listen carefully, was equally full of worry. "C'mon, Light. Just get here. You're late."

She heaved an annoyed noise right back. "Yes, Mr. Hope Estheim."

Even so, when they hung up their communicators, Lightning took her time finding a station to teleport up to the Ark. It was ten minutes after the call when she finally arrived, only to be greeted by his concerned expression and his hands flying out to grip her shoulders, like he was afraid she'd turn and leave if given the chance.

Frankly, his worry always startled her. Maybe because it was so strange to think that the tables had turned - a millennium ago, after all, it'd been the other way around.

His hands fell off of her shoulders a moment later, his face relaxing slightly. "Welcome back, Light."

She simply nodded in greeting. "I suppose now that I'm here, I can give you that report you're after."

"That'd be advisable," he agreed, turning and rearranging the few possessions he had here in the Ark. Most of it was stuff he could use to aide her. "But I have to ask…"

Lightning stood and waited for the rest of his sentence, but after a full minute, it still didn't come. She cocked her head a little in confusion, walking up to his side. "Ask what?"

"I…" Hope sighed and turned back to her. "…How come you don't report back to me on time anymore?"

Though she should have really expected it, the questioned still surprised Lightning. "What do you mean? I came here when you asked me to."

"I had to call for you to come yesterday as well." He met her eyes. "Six o'clock in the morning. That's what we agreed on."

"I was a little busy," she replied, wondering why she had the need to defend herself when he was right. "I think, if nothing else, I've added on a couple of hours. Anything's worth it to buy us more time and - "

She abruptly stopped speaking when Hope's arms suddenly flung around her, pulling her into a hug that gave her a strong sense of deja vu. It was when he spoke that she knew why.

"I just want to protect you," he murmured into her hair, arms tightening around her slightly. "Please, just let me watch out for you now that I'm strong enough."

It was a proclamation that surprised her, to say the least. And here she'd always assumed that Hope's desire to watch out for her was simply for the good of the world.

A moment later, she nodded, returning the embrace. "All right."

As though those two words were enough to calm him, Hope's shoulders sagged a bit in relief. They remained in their embrace a minute longer, and he was smiling when they pulled away enough to look at each other.

"You'll report to me at six _sharp_ tomorrow morning. Okay?"

For probably the first time since awakening from her crystal sleep, Lightning smiled. Suddenly, her mission honestly didn't seem so impossible.

"Six sharp."


	44. are you challenging me

**are you challenging me?; au**

One of the many things Lightning loved about Hope was that he was very reliable in his morning routine, at least on the days they had to leave the house for work. She was the same, and it was nice to have someone like that as well. It was a far cry from growing up with Serah, who'd sometimes want to lay around in bed for an extra ten minutes or hog the bathroom just when she needed it.

This was exactly why Lightning was completely confused when, upon turning to hand over the second coffee mug, Hope wasn't standing there. She frowned a little, setting the mug down and looking around like he was hiding from her. When that turned up nothing, she decided to investigate.

_Come to think of it, I didn't hear the shower running as usual…_ She sighed, heading upstairs to their bedroom. Whatever was wrong, hopefully it wasn't serious. Maybe he was just having an off day. Everyone was entitled to one of those once in awhile.

But when she walked into the bedroom, she was met with the sight of Hope coughing into his elbow, his hair all disheveled and just looking like a general picture of utter misery.

"Are you all right?" she asked, immediately heading over to him. He tried to wave her off, but she stood her ground.

"Fine. I'm fine." His voice came out in a croak that proved he was pretty much anything but. He coughed some more before adding, "Just…allergies."

"Right." She rolled her eyes. "Since when have you ever had allergies?" She grabbed his shoulder and practically pushed him back down onto the bed, much to his immediate protest.

"Light! What the heck are you doing?"

"You're in no shape to be upright. You're taking today off."

"Light, c'mon." Cough, cough, cough. He sneezed into the comforter, and Lightning made a mental note to wash it later. "I have a lot of things I need to oversee at work today. It's nothing."

She stared at him in complete disbelief. "Really? You're going to sit there and tell me you're _fine _when you can't get through a sentence without coughing halfway through it?"

"Of course I - " He paused, clearly trying to prove her wrong, but the rest of his words disappeared in more hacking.

"Tch. I told you." She pushed his bangs aside, resting the back of her hand on his sweaty forehead. "I bet you have a fever, too."

"I do not," he argued weakly, but the second the words were out of his mouth, he seemed aware that they were a total mistake. Wordlessly, Lightning got up and headed to their bathroom, digging around in a drawer for the thermometer. Without further ceremony, she sat down beside him and jammed it in his mouth. "Mmmph!"

"Hold still," she ordered, ignoring the indignant glare he was giving her, though apparently he didn't have the energy to do more than that since he simply relaxed and obeyed.

When the thermometer beeped, she took it out of his mouth and raised an eyebrow. "A hundred point three. That's a fever."

"What? There's no way - " She showed him the display screen and he relented a bit sheepishly. "…Oh."

Lightning rolled her eyes, her tone making it clear that there was no room for argument. "You're taking today off. I have some things I need to take care of at work this morning, but I'll be home as soon as I can." Her voice softened a little, along with her expression, when she turned to look at him. His bangs had fallen again, so she brushed them away gently. "Is there anything I can get for you before I leave?"

Hope shook his head. "Nah. I'm okay." He punctuated that with a series of coughs, rendering his statement false, but continued to wave her off. "You don't have to leave work early, either. I'll be fine."

"I want to." Though her tone was still soft, there was still no arguing with her. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He sighed. There was no doubt he completely appreciated what Lightning was doing, but he didn't want her to feel obligated to do it. "…If you're sure."

"I am." She stood up. "I'll see if I can pick up medicine on the way home. Try to get some rest in the meantime."

"All right." He sighed again, relaxing fully against his pillows. "Love you."

"Love you, too." He heard rather than saw her smile before the door closed.

Whether it was those words or just from being exhausted and ill, Hope soon found his eyes drooping closed again and fell into a doze. How long he stayed asleep was anyone's guess, but when he opened his eyes, there was a box of cold medicine on his bedside table, along with a tray with a light breakfast…and Lightning curled up at his side, also in a light sleep. He smiled slightly, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

He should've known better than to challenge that quietly caring nature of hers.


	45. vacation

**vacation; au**

It was always such a joy for the two of them to get away for awhile in the summer. Hope always thought that saving up the vacation time was totally worth it, especially since they were always able to go to Bodhum - not only was it the best little seaside town they could ask for, but it was also Lightning's hometown, which just made it even more special for them.

For almost two glorious weeks, they'd gone to the beach (much to Hope's pleasure, since it meant seeing Lightning in a bikini), saw the town's annual fireworks festival, and wandered around through the throngs of tourists.

Though they'd been coming here for vacation for several years, somehow, Hope always managed to learn something new about Lightning every time they did. It was like being here brought out who she really was, now that she'd somewhat dealt with the painful memories Bodhum used to bring her.

And that made him happier than anything.

…What would make him even happier, however, would be if they weren't met with a torrential downpour on their second-to-last day here.

Hope sighed heavily, flicking off the television. "Looks like it's gonna be going on all day." He didn't look particularly impressed with this fact. He would have much rather had another beach day so he could stare at Lightning's navel ring.

She hummed a little, still staring out the window. Their house was right on the beach, which right now, gave them the perfect view of the crashing waves. And it wasn't even marred with tourists, since likely everyone else was staying inside. "Maybe not." With a gesture of her head, she added, "It's already letting up."

"It'll probably rain all day, though."

"Yeah." Lightning stared for another moment, then, to Hope's surprised, smirked slightly. He'd been with her long enough to realize what that meant - some crazy idea was forming in that pretty head of hers.

"Light…?"

She vanished into their bedroom for a few minutes, reappearing in her bikini and a towel around her neck. She threw his swim trunks at him unceremoniously.

"Put these on."

"Huh?" His thought process had gotten distracted by that glorious navel ring.

Lightning rolled her eyes as though she could tell what he was thinking, and leaned down - which didn't help his thought process at _all_ - and held up his swim trunks. "Put these on."

"Why?"

"You're questioning me?"

"N-No. Of course not." Hope smiled sheepishly, making his way to the bedroom to shed himself out of his normal clothes, wondering what the hell was going on in Lightning's mind. Surely they weren't going to go _out_ there, in all that rain…?

There was only one way to find out.

Quickly, he put on his swim trunks and grabbed a towel as well, though he wasn't really sure why - the rain had let up to something more light and steady, but it was still going to get soaked.

Any questions he still had went unanswered as Lightning simply grabbed his hand and let him onto the beach, his toes wiggling in the damp sand. He had to admit, it was nice for the bottom of his feet not to burn.

They wandered over to what was usually a deserted area of the beach - and of course, now it was completely empty due to the rain. Lightning dropped her towel and jogged into the waves before Hope could say anything, and he watched with a little smile as she submerged herself, clearly enjoying it.

And he simply watched with huge eyes as her bikini top suddenly went flying past him to land on the sand, her bottoms following a moment later.

Lightning chuckled at his wide-eyed expression, standing to her full height, which had her halfway out of the water…which just made Hope stare some more, naturally. Though her looks didn't have much to do about how he'd fallen for her, he had to admit that it was times like these he wondered how the hell she could be so inhumanely beautiful.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to join me?"

Hope blinked a few times and shook his head a bit as though to clear his mind, responding with a grin as he stripped off his swim trunks to join her in the waves.

"I'd be crazy to refuse."


	46. night

**night; au holiday fluff**

Lightning wasn't too fond of parties and big get-togethers - and by 'big', she meant more than herself and maybe someone else. It wasn't as though she necessarily disliked all the people she was around right now; it was simply that she preferred things a lot more low-key.

Too bad ringing in the new year generally meant being surrounded by people…idiotic drunk people, at that.

"C'mon Light, live a little!" Snow held up the glass he'd been drinking from. It was his fourth one tonight. "Lemme mix you up something."

Lightning shook her head. "No, thanks." It wasn't the first time she'd refused tonight. Lebreau, Maqui, and even Sazh had all tried to get her to 'live a little', but she wasn't having any of it. Not that she couldn't hold her alcohol; she just didn't see the point.

In all honesty, she didn't see the point of this whole holiday. Tch, New Year's Eve - what a joke. Time continued onward no matter what. Tomorrow would come and they'd all sink in to another dull day. Honestly, this whole shebang was just an excuse for everyone to get drunk.

She got up from the chair she'd been sitting in, just needing to get away for a moment. At least Serah was having fun, she noticed with a faint smile. Her sister was in a rapid conversation with Yuj. She'd basically been the star of the party the whole night, now that she was legally old enough to partake in drunken idiocy…not that she did. Much.

To her surprise, when Lightning opened the sliding door to patio outside, she spotted Hope just standing around. Come to think of it, she did recall seeing him in the mass of people earlier, but apparently he'd somehow managed to escape her watchful eye.

He turned when he heard the sliding door open, his expression softening slightly as he set the mostly-full glass in his hand on the nearby table. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same." Lightning closed the door behind her and walked up a little closer. "It's almost midnight."

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged. "This has never really been my favorite holiday. I like everyone in there and all, but…"

"…It's too much at once, right?"

"Right." His eyes flickered over towards her and didn't leave. Instead, he chuckled a bit under his breath. "I should have known you'd feel the same way."

She mirrored his shrug. "I only came because Serah asked me to. I've never really celebrated this holiday before." She crossed her arms. "I guess I never had a reason to."

"You haven't?" Hope turned to face her a little better. "Not even some party when you were a kid and ate too much sugar in an effort to stay up?"

"No," she replied with a snort of amusement, adding, "though that sounds exactly like something you would do as a child."

"Maybe." He grinned sheepishly, but it faded as he brought back his original question. "So you've never celebrated the New Year?"

"No."

"Not even watching that ball drop thing on TV?"

"No."

"Not even - " Hope cut himself off at her raised eyebrows and held a hand up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I get the picture." After a pause, he asked in a quiet, somewhat nervous tone that suggested it was taking him a lot of courage to ask this, "…Which means you've never had a kiss at midnight?"

Lightning's eyebrows shot up. "No. I had no idea that was even a tradition."

"…Yeah." Hope's steps shuffled, perhaps in an effort to get warm. It wasn't freezing out, but the air wasn't exactly balmy, either. "It is," he continued after clearing his throat. "It's supposed to bring good luck or something. I don't remember the exact meaning behind it."

"Surprising." She quirked a bit of a smile that just barely tugged the corner of her mouth. "So you've had one?"

"Huh?"

She tried not to laugh at his utterly confused expression and stepped even closer, standing right in front of him. "You've had a New Year's kiss?"

"…Oh. Uh, no." He shook his head, seemingly composing himself. "No." There was a long pause and Lightning realized she could hear muffled yelling coming from inside the house. It sounded far away, so it took her a moment to realize they were counting down from ten.

Was it that close to midnight?

"…Not yet."

Lightning's eyes darted to meet Hope's when it registered that he'd spoken, her heart unnecessarily racing at his strange words - even moreso when she echoed them. "Not yet?"

He shook his head slightly, staring at her like he was looking at her for the first time…or, she realized, like someone who was finally going to do something about feelings that'd captured him for quite some time.

"Light…"

Vaguely, she could make out the voices of everyone inside again, simply because they grew louder. It was a ringing in her ears that was muffled by the whoosh of feeling coursing through her that'd honestly come out of nowhere.

"_Three! Two! …One!_"

At the final second in the countdown, Hope reached out and cupped Lightning's face in his hands, his expression slightly apprehensive but his body and heart moving on autopilot as he leaned forward and captured her lips in an utterly tender, sweet kiss that had her sighing in contentment automatically. It was as though this all happened in slow motion - the cheering inside sounded like it was miles away. All that existed was this one moment, the exact second the new year began and it was as young as it could possibly be.

They broke the kiss what seemed like hours later, though Lightning could still hear yelling in the house, so it couldn't have been that long. At some point, her hands had moved to rest on Hope's chest of their own accord, and she left them there as she stared at him with a slightly dazed expression, like she couldn't believe that had happened.

Hope only gave her gentle smile, one thumb stroking her cheek as he really took in his moment - they both were, because they knew in this one night, in this one second, everything had changed.

"Happy New Year, Light," he murmured softly.

She smiled in return, her hands sliding up his chest, one cupping the back of his neck and replying quietly before their lips met again.

"I'd say so."


	47. traps

**traps; au. basically a continuation to teamwork (chapter 18)**

Lightning's training in the Corps had given her some lifelong skills. One of those skills was the ability to be completely aware of her surrounding at any given point in time - it was invaluable out on the battlefield, where a moment's hesitation could be the difference between something dire or not.

This training was likely the reason she was aware that _something _was going on.

Then again, it probably wouldn't have been difficult for anyone fairly perceptive to figure it out, though given the people who lived in the NORA house on a regular basis, she kind of wondered about that. At times, they were oblivious. Other times…they were a little _too _perceptive.

And _way _too involved in her personal life, such as it was.

"So where'd you and Hope go off to last night, huh?" Maqui asked her, pretending to be interested in whatever gadget he was taking apart.

"None of your business."

"Ohhh! So it _was _a date!" Maqui grinned and waved his arms towards someone. "Hey Lebreau, it was totally a date!"

"You sure about that?" Lebreau shouted. Lightning rolled her eyes and groaned.

"It wasn't a date," she grumbled.

"So how come it's none of my business, huh?"

"Because it isn't."

"I don't know…you guys have been hanging out a lot lately. _Alooooone,_" he added in a sing-song voice. Lightning would have punched him if it was worth the effort. "You have been ever since you came out of that haunted house back during Halloween."

"Such as it was." She blushed slightly despite herself. The whole haunted house fiasco had been an awful setup pretty much everyone in NORA had been in on - they'd forced Hope and herself into a "haunted" house that had ended up with the two of them leaving it holding hands…as friends, of course.

Still, Maqui was right about one thing - she and Hope _had _been spending a lot of time together since then. As friends. She was quite content to keep it that way…but sometimes she had to wonder.

"Hope's coming back from work soon, right?" Maqui's question interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess." In exactly thirteen minutes, if previous experience was accounted for, but who was counting?

"You should stand over there and wait for him." He pointed near the doorway. "Betcha it'll cheer him up to see you first thing!"

Lightning gave him a look that suggested he was completely off his rocker. "No thanks. I'll wait right here." At the slight smirk on his face, she added hastily, "if I even decide to wait at all. I do have better things to do than sit around."

"Okay, Lightning. Whatever you say." He didn't seem to perturbed. Lightning rolled her eyes and eventually did get up, completely missing the enormous huff from Maqui, who pulled out his cell phone and sent a message to Yuj.

_Didn't work. Time for Plan B!_

—

"Hey, Hope. Can you help me for a sec?"

Hope glanced up from the book he'd been engrossed in, noticing Yuj standing on a stepladder, a string of lights dangling from his hands. Apparently he was attempting to make the doorway festive.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Hope got to his feet, setting the book he'd been reading aside. He easily reached up and helped put the lights in their place. "I guess you're going all out for the holidays, huh?"

"Yep, that's the plan." Yuj stuck a thumbtack in between some wires to keep the lights in place, his eyes darting around like he was looking for Lebreau to catch him doing so. "I figured that we have a lot to celebrate. We're all here, so why not?"

"Sounds a good a reason as any." He smiled a bit. "…I guess everyone in NORA likes the holidays, huh?"

"All of them, yeah." There was a pause. Yuj glanced at Hope and chuckled. "What, are you _still _getting on my case about the Halloween thing? I told you, that was all Snow's idea."

"…Yeah, sure." Hope shook his head. Though he had no doubt that Snow had a little part to play in that fiasco, he _did_ doubt that the other man had been perceptive enough to notice these…feelings Hope had been having towards Lightning.

Honestly, though, he didn't really know what to make of them_ himself_ lately. They hung out a lot - often alone - and Lightning always seemed to have a good time with him. There was nothing horribly awkward about their interactions, though the amount of time he spent wishing that she'd grab his hand again was verging on pathetic. It just seemed like they were…_waiting_ for something.

"Can you wait here for a sec?"

"Huh?" Hope blinked a couple of times, mentally shaking himself out of his thoughts.

"Mind waiting here for a sec?" Yuj gestured in the general area of the doorway they were standing near. "I'm gonna go find some more lights and stuff."

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

"Great!" Yuj practically hopped off the stepladder. There was a bounce in his gait that had Hope quirking an eyebrow in confusion - in all the time he'd known him, Hope had never seen Yuj as anything but calm and collected.

Huh. Weird. Maybe he just _really _like decorating.

After about a minute of waiting, Hope heard someone approaching the doorway and assumed it was Yuj, so he remained where he was - at least until his phone went off. It was across the room, lying on the couch where he'd been sitting earlier. Hope immediately walked off to get it, scrolling through the screen and smiling faintly at a text from Vanille.

"Oh, hi, Hope."

He looked up quickly at the voice, automatically breaking into a little smile. "Hey, Light." She was walking through the doorway, looking a little confused. "What's up?"

"…I don't know." She stepped out of the doorway. "Lebreau just told me to go over here."

"Maybe she wants you to help with the decorations." Hope gestured to the lights that'd already been put up. "Yuj is somewhere getting more."

Lightning shook her head a little. "I don't think that was it." But her confusion melted away with a slight smile, the sort that made Hope's stomach flutter involuntarily. "But I guess I can help out."

Meanwhile, Yuj listened to the conversation from the other side of the doorway, sighing to himself and sending a text off to Snow.

_Time for Plan C._

—

"Why are you following me?"

Snow held up his hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. "I'm not! I'm just, uh…going the same way as you, Sis."

"I'm not your sister," Lightning grumbled, mostly out of habit. Honestly, it was hard to be annoyed - Christmas was rapidly approaching. The NORA house was decorated to the nines, and for the past couple of weeks, the gifts under the giant family tree had been piling up. Everyone was in an extremely festive mood. It was even rubbing off on her.

Too bad it couldn't dull those senses that kept telling her that _something_ was going on. Then again, maybe it was obvious to her, because usually Snow walked _away_ from her - not followed her. It'd been like this for days now.

"Sooo Light…where's Hope?"

"How should I know?" She shrugged. This had been occurring with rapid frequency as well - everyone always seemed to figure that she had some kind of eye on Hope's whereabouts, as if they were expected be to joined at the hip. Or at the hands.

Before Snow could reply, she heard some voices coming from the other room, gradually getting louder as they approached the doorway. Gadot and Hope. She shrugged again and gestured her head in that vague direction. "There's your answer."

"Uh huh." Snow suddenly seemed extremely preoccupied and edged weirdly close. Lightning tried to shuffle away, but he hardly noticed. Annoyance surged within her, barely noticing Hope and Gadot approaching the doorway.

"Snow, what the hell are you - "

"Aaaand _now!_"

In a move she honestly didn't see coming - strange, given all of those instincts - Snow pushed Lightning in the direction of the doorway. She stumbled with a noise of surprise, barely seeing Gadot do the same to Hope.

It was miraculous that they didn't crash into each other, but she was still completely confused and disarrayed when she got her senses back. As it was, she'd managed to stumble, quite literally, right into Hope's arms - he was holding onto her shoulders, likely for balance since her own hands were pressed up against his chest for the same reason.

For a moment, she simply stared up at him in confusion, her heart racing from the surprise. Just the surprise, she told herself, because Hope looked just as shocked as she felt. His eyes were wide and she could _feel_ his heart racing underneath her hands…

"Uh, guys?" Gadot sounded like he was about to laugh. "You might wanna look up."

Practically in unison, Hope and Lightning's eyes slid upwards, all while still in their awkward embrace. Her heartbeat sped up to double time when she realized what was taped on the doorframe above their heads.

Mistletoe.

_How long have they been planning this…?_

Lightning started to attempt to pull away. She would not be caught taking part in some silly tradition…at least, until she met Hope's eyes again. They were wondering. _Hopeful._ And she recalled what she'd said after that fiasco during Halloween.

If they'd somehow gotten caught under the mistletoe, he would find out if she was okay with it or not.

Somehow, though, she hadn't expected actually have to find an answer to that question. As the seconds ticked on, she vaguely grew aware that Gadot and Snow had left the room - or at least went and hid somewhere. It didn't really matter, because all she could see was Hope.

"Um…" Hope's cheeks had turned an interesting shade of red. His hands lightly slid down her arms like he was going to pull away, but when Lightning didn't move her own hands, he hesitantly rested them on her waist instead. She let out a nearly inaudible breath at the touch, her fingers curling into his shirt a bit. "Well, you know. It's tradition and all…"

She hummed a little, just a noise to fill the silence. She realized that one mistletoe kiss was not going to instantly change everything. But at the same time…who was it that she'd been spending so much time with? Who was it that always managed to make her smile, who made the world fade away when she was with him like he was doing now?

Maybe it wouldn't be an instantaneous change, but the holidays usually meant the start of something new as well.

A little smile appeared on her face. Hope blinked a couple of times like he was surprised to see it, letting out a content sigh of his own when one of her hands slid up to cup the back of his neck.

"Yes, you're right. It _is _tradition."

That seemed to be the answer they needed. They were both smiling when they met halfway, their lips finally meeting under the mistletoe…as their friends and family had been trying to get them to do for _weeks_ now. She was so engrossed in her kiss with Hope that she didn't even hear the quiet cheering from everyone in the NORA house.

…Well, maybe she did, a little bit. She knew they were glad one of their elaborate little traps had worked, so she'd let them have their fun. She could kick all their asses tomorrow.

Or maybe, she vaguely thought as her fingers slid into Hope's hair, she would actually thank them.


	48. pen and paper

**pen and paper; au of holiday fluff**

Lightning thought is was rather amazing how family seemed to breed tradition. When it had just been her and Serah for all those difficult years, their holiday traditions were always a bright spot - they had little money to spare, but Lightning would always manage to scrounge up enough for them to rent a movie and get popcorn. They'd spend Christmas Eve together, eating and laughing at bad acting.

Obviously that was something difficult to plan once they'd each gotten married and had families of their own, but Lightning didn't mind. It was nice to create new traditions with Hope and Soren - especially since their son was at the age when he actually understood more about Christmas.

"Do you remember what we did last year?" She sat on the couch while Soren flew onto the cushion beside her, clearly excited for the reason his mom had asked him to come out here.. She smiled, wondering where he got that energy from. Probably his aunt.

"What what what?" Soren babbled in excitement.

Lightning reached over and got a blank piece of paper and a pen from the table beside her and handed them to her son. "You can write your list for Santa."

Soren's eyes grew wide. "Yay!' He took the paper and pen, getting down on the floor so he could easily write on the coffee table. "I know exactly what I'm gonna ask for!"

"I bet," Hope joked as he came into the room, grinning at his wife's chuckle. He was carrying two mugs and handed one to Lightning, who thanked him with a kiss, and the other to Soren, who barely looked up from his scribbles. "Can't write your list for Santa without hot chocolate, right?"

"Or coffee," she added with a smirk, since that was what was in hers.

Hope smiled at her, getting back to the kitchen and soon returning with his own mug. His eyebrows shot up at the mostly intelligible words on Soren's paper. "Whoa, kiddo. What are you asking for? A whole toy factory?"

"Don't put ideas in his head," Lightning teased, nudging Hope's knee with her own. Soren was smart enough to realize that 'Santa' wouldn't get him _everything_ on his list, but that wouldn't stop him from asking.

"Nuh-uh." The tip of Soren's tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration. "Just stuff."

"Hmmm." Lightning hoped he would read it to them so she could try and figure out what he wanted the most. She and Hope had already gotten a number of things for him - safely hidden in the attic - but what fun was making a list if you didn't get at least one little thing from it?

Besides, it kept the magic alive. Lightning had honestly stopped believing in Santa when she'd been about seven or eight - a bit older than Soren was now. She wanted him to believe as long as he could.

"You know…" Hope, who'd seemed lost in thought, suddenly interjected, "when you're done with your letter, there's something _magic_ you can do to get it to Santa, instead of putting it in the mailbox."

Lightning arched her eyebrows, but Soren only responded with an enthusiastic, "Okay!" and went back to writing. She cocked her head in confusion, asking after a sip of coffee, "Got an in with Santa?"

"Perhaps."

She rolled her eyes in amusement, curling her legs under her and settling against her husband better. Hope, in turn, wrapped an arm around her waist, letting them meld against each other perfectly. A happy sigh escaped her when Hope gently kissed the top of her head. Honestly, even years later, sometimes she couldn't believe that she was a part of moments like these in her life. She'd been so sure it would just be her and Serah forever.

She loved the family they'd managed to build.

"All done!" Soren cried a few comfortable minutes later. "What do we do now, Daddy?"

"Can we read it, first?" Hope asked, holding out a hand for the paper.

"Kaaay," Soren agreed, handing it over, but it was clear he wanted to see this magic thing his father had mentioned earlier.

Lightning smiled again, her eyes scanning the letter. Luckily, she'd gotten pretty good at deciphering Soren's penmanship. His wish list wasn't too extravagant - in fact, he'd asked for a couple of toys that they'd already gotten him - but what surprised her the most was that he'd added a P.S.:

_P.S. If you could get Mommy some coffee that'd be nice cause she really likes coffee thank you_

"Soren…" She smiled and shook her head. "How come you asked Santa to bring me coffee?"

"Maybe his is magic!" He gestured clumsily with his arms like that would demonstrate. "'Cause I bet that's how he stays awake all night!"

It took everything they had for Hope and Lightning to keep straight faces. "That was very thoughtful of you, kiddo." Hope ruffled his son's hair with a grin. "Now c'mon, let me show you this magic."

"Yay!"

Lightning looked on curiously. She honestly had no idea what Hope had up his sleeve, and her confusion only grew when father led son to the rarely-used fireplace. Luckily, it was gas-powered, so it was only a flick of a switch to get the fire roaring, which Soren instinctively backed away a bit from.

"This is something my mom told me," Hope said quietly. Lightning grew even more surprised and flashed him a sympathetic little smile. The cackling fire filled the respectful little silence that followed - even by Soren, who didn't know anything about his grandparents except that they'd all been taken far too soon. To find out about a tradition one of them had passed down was clearly a huge honor.

"What is it?" he asked after a minute, clearly all excited again.

"This guarantees that your letter gets to Santa." Hope tapped the paper in Soren's hand. "First, you have to fold that up really small. As small as you can make it."

Soren glanced at the paper, then proceeded to do so. The end result was rather…interesting looking, but it got the job done. "Like this?"

"Yup." Hope smiled, ruffling his son's hair a bit. "Now, what you do is look at the fire and imagine one burning at the North Pole. It's cold up there, so you know they have lots of fireplaces, right?"

"Right!"

"So picture one of those fireplaces. Then tell your letter to go to the North Pole, and put it in the fire." Hope gestured his head towards the flames. "The smoke will carry your letter to a fireplace right in the North Pole. And - " he tickled Soren's side, which got a giggle, "I have it on good authority that Santa always takes a look at the letters coming from the fireplace first."

"Really?"

"Really," Lightning said softly, her gaze lovingly on the two boys. She had no doubt that this tradition passed down from Nora had helped Hope believe in Christmas magic for a long time - Hope had told her awhile back that he'd been twelve when he'd found out the truth.

"Okay!" Soren looked excited now. He looked at the folded up letter in his hands, then squinched his eyes shut, clearly picturing one of those fireplaces up in Santa's workshop. "To the North Pole!" he shouted, and tossed the paper into the fire.

There was a loud cackle, but it was immediately eaten by the flames. The smoke escaped upwards and Soren grinned widely at the sight. "Santa's gonna get my letter!"

Before either of them could respond, Hope and Lightning both glanced up when they heard a light scraping against the nearby window. To their surprise, it was a flurry of snowflakes.

The first snowfall of the year.

Lightning smiled when the boys both got up and scrambled to look out the window. She followed as well, one arm slipping around Hope's waist and the other resting on the back of Soren's head.

"Looks like Santa's telling you he got your letter."


	49. danger ahead

**danger ahead; what should totally be the LR universe**

To think that the Ark was a safe haven was still something Lightning couldn't quite comprehend at times, especially when the world was so close to its end. A place where time didn't exist was more than welcome. It was almost like being crystallized, except…more alive, somehow.

The fact that Hope was there probably helped, she imagined.

Honestly, she was just grateful to have someone so capable on her side. Despite his appearance, he had consistently continued to prove himself to be in his right mind and always had some sort of insightful advice.

At least she could take what little emotion she had left and use it to tease him.

"All right, Mr. Hope Estheim. I'm on my way back."

"Come on, Light. How many times have I told you? Just call me Hope."

She smirked a little, imagining the exasperated expression on his face. It was nice to have someone to act somewhat normal around - whatever normal even _was _for her anymore. But she knew that no matter what, she could trust Hope indefinitely.

"Sure," she replied, huffing a bit in amusement.

"You know - "

Lightning wasn't sure was she was expecting the rest of his sentence to be, but it was suddenly cut off by a loud, animalistic roar. The sound of breaking glass echoed in the background, and she could just make out the sound of Hope shouting something unintelligible.

"Hope?!" she cried. "_Hope!_"

The communicator went dead.

Any trace of hesitation disappeared. Lightning went straight for one of the teleporters that usually took her back to the Ark, and she wondered for a brief moment if whatever had just happened would prevent her from arriving there.

Luckily, she was wrong and came to the Ark without any trouble…but that seemed to be the only good thing. Instantly, she realized Hope was gone - he'd _always _greeted her and welcomed her home when she was here, but now…

A second glance around told her that something else was amiss - Yggdrasil, the tree she'd been giving her Eradia to, was missing as well. In fact, the whole Ark reeked of Chaos.

Perhaps this was another good thing. Whatever had taken Hope was obviously a product of the Chaos…and it tended to be dark in the trails of anger it left behind. She didn't know _what _it was - something Lumina had sent, perhaps? - but that hardly mattered.

Lightning's fists clenched. "I will save you," she murmured.

Strangely enough, the trail was clear and Lightning was soon able to follow it. The destination seemed to be Yusnaan.

When she got there, however, she immediately noticed it was quiet. Too quiet. This was the area, she recalled Hope telling her, that was 'popular for couples'. She would have stood out…had there been anyone around. In fact, the entire town was quiet, which was a feat in itself - Yusnaan never seemed to turn its lights off for anything.

Except perhaps a manifestation of Chaos.

The second she heard the roar, Lightning spun around and jumped, immediately drawing out her weapon. The noise was much like the one she'd heard over the communicator, and it came from a beast with fangs bared right at her. She heard a vaguely familiar voice calling out to her, but could give it no thought as she plunged into battle.

The beast was a strange one. It almost seemed to _avoid _her at times, but then would glow strangely and charge at her impeccably. This was where she would have appreciated any advice from Hope - it was strange to fight without hearing him urge her on.

Her breathing was ragged and she was more than a little worse for wear when the beast finally fell. To her surprise, instead of fading away like usual, the monster exploded into a bright, white light that was reminiscent of something familiar.

"Eradia…?" she murmured, brows knit in confusion. It dissolved into nothingness and her stomach clenched in horror. Was it gone? Had Yggdrasil reappeared at the Ark? What was going on?

"…Light?"

It was that same voice - the one she'd heard before battle that sounded familiar, and yet somehow different. Somehow, she knew whose it was before she even turned around, because only one person called her Light anymore.

It still didn't prepare her for the shock.

Hope stood before her, looking about as worse for wear as she was - perhaps the Chaos had tried to consume him during the battle. That wasn't the surprising part, though; it was that he was now almost a head taller than her. He looked just how she'd briefly seen him centuries ago while visiting his dream.

Except this was real.

Lightning's lips parted in surprise. For a moment, all she could do was stare. It wasn't until he said her name again that she walked forward.

"Hope?" Her brows knit together briefly. There was no denying that this was really him, and it wasn't just a trick of the Chaos. "How…?"

"I…" He looked down at himself briefly, but his eyes were back on Lightning's almost instantly. "I don't know. I think it happened when Chaos infested the Ark."

She shook her head, simply a bit amazed. "How did you keep it from consuming you? You've been safe in the Ark all this time." Her heart wrenched with some kind of painful, muted emotion she couldn't put a name to - likely because she couldn't really fully feel it. "I would have thought that if the Chaos touched you, you would have no chance of escaping it. You'd be like the others."

"That's easy." He smiled, and it was warm like it always was when he welcomed her home. "I know that I have to help you. I mean.._._you_ could_ probably do this alone, but why should you have to?"

"But - "

Lightning immediately cut herself off when Hope abruptly stepped forward and flung his arms around her. She was reminded of when she'd done the same thing centuries ago - another lifetime, really. But it was still the same in that the embrace was tinged with utter relief of being together again.

At the same time, she did not expect the sudden feeling of feeling utterly safe when his arms were around her.

"You and I are partners, Light," he murmured. Again, she recognized the words from another lifetime. "And I won't leave you alone."

She felt strange, and could tell that he did, too. Emotions that were supposed to be dulled and muted were trying to flare and rise again; ones she tended to ignore wanted to take over her being. Not for the first time, she cursed the fact that she'd been chosen for this task. But if she had someone so dedicated on her side, surely that meant she could worry less.

Wordlessly, Lightning lifted her arms and hugged Hope in return.

Everything was different now, including them.


	50. do not disturb

**do not disturb; au, ****_nsfw_**

Before they'd even fully stepped into the room, Hope had hung the sign on the door. Sure, maybe it was a little preemptive of him, but even in just looking at Lightning, he knew it would be hours - maybe days - before they allowed themselves to be disturbed.

He had to admit that the hotel room was pretty fancy. Nice decor, it was clean…and the bed was more than big enough.

He eyes flickered over to Lightning. She was gazing around the room as well, taking it in with her ever-observant eyes. It struck him right then just how gorgeous she was - to anyone else, she might have looked ordinary. All she was wearing was a simple, dark tank top and a pair of shorts. Her hair was free and messy, as usual. But all Hope could see was her long, lean legs, her bare neck, and the sliver of skin revealed between her shorts and shirt.

Gods, she was beautiful.

He slid a hand onto the small of her back in a silent question. She respond with a smirk of a smile, her arms reaching up to slide around his neck as she turned, their lips meeting in an instantly heated kiss.

The didn't need words. The only conversation spoken here were their mutual gasps and her long, drawn-out moans.

Somehow, they managed to clumsily stumble to the bed. He eased her down onto the sheets, their lips still connected. Kissing Lightning was always something that filled him with ecstasy, but their fervent bedroom kisses were some of his favorite - it was their way of letting their guards down and letting themselves really _feel_.

She managed to sneak a hand under the hem of his shirt, and her fingertips teasingly ran up and down his spine. He arched into touch in response, both of them letting out a moan when he reaction caused their hips to press together more firmly. Instinctively, he rocked against her, feeling far too pleased when it caused Lightning to pull away from the kiss with a sharp gasp.

How was it that he found himself wanting her more and more as time went on?

He quickly pulled the two of them onto more of the bed to make better use of it. Hope dipped his head, lips kissing the heated skin of her neck as his hand pushed her shirt upwards. A smile broke out when his thumb brushed her navel ring, but it just made her shiver. Though every time she responded made his need skyrocket, he was determined to linger, to drive them both crazy as he memorized every inch of her body once again until they couldn't take it anymore.

It seemed as though Lightning's patience was already waring thin, if the way her legs pressed against either side of his was any indication, but Hope was nothing if persistent. He ignored her insistence, instead moving his hand upwards as his teeth and tongue continued to ravish her neck. Her head fell back against the pillows with a pleased moan, exposing more of that glorious skin for him, and she arched up even closer when his fingers slide her her bra to tease the underside of her breasts. The way she squirmed against him was telling enough - she wasn't in the mood for his teasing.

Luckily, they both knew that was just a ruse.

In the interest of not frustrating her even more, Hope reluctantly pulled away from her neck so he could tug her shirt off, though the movement was far more clumsy than normal when he saw the blatant desire in her eyes. It never failed to blow him away that _she_ wanted _him_. It was just another reminder of how damn lucky he was.

Lightning impatiently threw his shirt off as well when she was able to, her hands immediately running up and down his chest as their lips met again in another frantic kiss. A jagged groan escaped the corner of his mouth when her hands dipped just below his waistband, then shot back up over his stomach. She wasn't being shy, he knew - she was blatantly teasing him at this point.

Two could play at that game.

Without hesitation, he undid her shorts and tugged them off along with her underwear, leaving her in nothing but a dark, lacy bra. With a little gasp, he pulled away from the kiss to fully throw her clothes aside, his eyes trailing up her body with a heated gaze.

When he met her eyes, he knew that his plan of trailing along until they both cracked was not going to happen. There was too much love and desire in her eyes, too much pure _need_. And gods, he wanted her more than anything right now, never mind that there'd be plenty of time later to continue memorizing her body.

He left her bra on because it accentuated her gorgeous figure, but the remainder of his clothes were quickly shed without a care and tossed to the floor in a heap. Now there was nothing to stop and he and Lightning from becoming one…unless he decided to string them along just a bit farther.

Though she was clearly ready for him, he instead dipped his head down and rained kisses on her collarbone, his hands reaching up to tease her neglected breasts. Caressing them through the lace of her bra seemed to make his touch even more pleasing for her…or perhaps she was really just growing that much more impatient. A sharp, deep gasp escaped her when his mouth ventured lower, finally uttering out the first real word either of them had spoken since arriving here.

"_Please_…."

He knew she meant it. They both did - their bodies were trembling so much it was hard to tells whose skin was whose and their need was so great it had nearly become tangible. He could not deny them any longer.

A moan escaped her when he eased himself inside of her. It took his breath away at how hot and slick she could feel against him, like she was welcoming him. Hope remained there for a long moment, his eyes half-lidded as he stared down at her expression of utter pleasure, only moving at her wordless signal - when her legs wrapped around his waist as though to keep him from going anywhere.

As though he'd move away, really.

Instead, he rocked slowly into her, beginning with a slower pace in the interest of gradually building it up, but Lightning was having none of that. Her hips immediately snapped up to meet his and one arm flung around his neck to pull him down for a frenzied kiss that stole his breath away.

Well, then.

Hope took her free hand in his own, their fingers twining together. It was the last motion of his that could be classified as 'sweet', because everything afterwards was pure need and lust. His hips slammed against hers uncontrollably, his pace quickening more and more at her endless gasps and moans. At one point, her free hand threaded into his hair and tugged roughly, and he responded by lowering his lips to her neck, sucking the skin there with a delicious noise.

His heart was racing uncontrollably, enough to push all of the breath out of his lungs. Simple human functions felt like they ceased to be as he completely gave in to pleasing Lightning, taking in every inch of her and every reaction - to the way her hips quickly rolled up against his in desperation, her cut-off gasps of his name, the moans that continually drove him crazy, the way her hand squeezed his like it was all she could do to hold on -

It was always a sight to behold when she hit in the edge, since it was one of the few times she would _completely_ let go - her mouth hung open in a silent scream as her head arched back against the pillows fiercely, her body completely tense as she clung to him with absolute feeling. Her reaction was always that little bit more he needed for his climax to consume him as well, maybe because it always made pleased to please _her_ so thoroughly.

For a long, suspended moment, it was as though nothing but sensation existed. Even their bodies were simply just along for the ride…and _oh_, what a ride it was.

The spell was broken when Hope simply couldn't take it anymore and his spent, exhausted body collapsed against Lightning's, his breathing coming out in quick pants. She didn't seem to mind, even though her legs bonelessly flopped down and her hold on him loosened - except for their hands, which remained tightly entwined.

For a long time, they stayed like that, simply wrapped up in each other and listening to their rapid heartbeats. It seemed like ages before Hope had regained any air in his lungs enough to speak, but once he did, it was in a murmur against Lightning's ear. He uttered the only other words that were needed.

"I love you."

He felt rather that saw her smile when her lips pressed against his sweaty temple. "As do I," she murmured into his skin.

Hope smiled as well. _Now_ he could honestly say that tonight had been perfect.

* * *

I am terrible at smut. LOL


	51. pain

**pain; what should totally be the Lightning Returns universe**

It had been a long time since Hope had been out on the battlefield, up close and personal with vicious monsters - centuries, in fact, if everything she'd heard since awakening was true.

That wasn't really Lightning's concern at the moment, however. The biggest thing she was worried about was the fact that the Behemoth they'd been battling had turned on her and had taken a chunk out of her partner with its massive claws.

"Hope!" She reflexively winced when he cried out, managing to summon enough power - maybe from her anger - for a spell that easily felled the creature.

The moment it'd collapsed and faded into smoke, Lightning dashed over to him, kneeling down since he'd also collapsed, clutching his side. It was obvious that he was hiding how bad it really was, but she could see through his clenched teeth and the sweat beading out on his forehead.

"Hope," she said again, her voice calmer this time, instantly going into soldier mode. She supposed it was still instinct for her, even after all of this time. Or lack of, really. "Let me see."

"It's - it's nothing." Hope let out a shaky breath, attempting to sit up, but that only resulted in a pained yelp and a hiss as his hand went back to side.

Lightning rolled her eyes. "That's obviously not nothing." She pulled a Potion from her pack and tried to hand it to him. "At least take this if you won't let me treat it."

He reached out, but then immediately stopped. "…Is that your last one?"

A glance at her bag told her the answer. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I'm sure we'll come across a merchant soon enough. What's important is that we get you back on your feet."

He still refused to take the potion. "You may need it, Light. I…I can't."

Lightning frowned in confusion, but obediently put the Potion away, even though forcing it down Hope's throat sounded like a much better idea. Why did he _want _to sit around in pain, seriously? "Then let me see the wound," she eventually answered in an oddly gentle tone. "Maybe I can help." It was doubtful she'd be able to summon up any kind of healing spell - she'd used an awful lot of power getting rid of the Behemoth, and it would take some time to replenish, but she still had the skills she'd learned as a soldier and human. Surely tourniquets and bandages still worked if they were needed.

There was an oddly suspended moment of silence and more hesitance on Hope's part, but eventually he obediently lifted his now-bloodstained shirt to reveal a large, raw wound. Strange how the beast's claws had done little damage to the clothing, but had ripped the skin a new one.

Luckily, the blood was already clotting. At least something was going right today. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only thing.

"This could probably use stitches," she murmured after her keen observation. "I don't have anything I could use, though."

"I'm not sure it would work, anyway," Hope murmured, sounding more than a little out of it. Perhaps the blood loss was finally getting to him.

"Why not?"

"Time heals all wounds, right?" It sounded oddly as though it was more than the superficial one on his side that he was talking about. "And yet, we live in a world where time no longer exists. It's why Potions and the like have gotten so expensive."

She supposed that made sense, but that didn't mean it wasn't frustrating. Instead of answering him outright, Lightning stood up. "I'll be right back. There was a stream nearby." She started rummaging around in their supplies. "If you won't take the Potion, the least I can do is clean your wounds."

He looked faintly surprised for a moment, but eventually nodded slowly. "…Okay."

Not that she would have taken any other answer, of course.

Lightning made her way over to the stream and soaked a couple of rags she'd randomly accumulated, having an oddly fierce longing for the days of Cocoon. At least getting Hope healed would have been no problem there.

Then again, he wouldn't have been wounded in the first place if Cocoon still existed.

…But they might not have even met. It was a case of both good and bad, she supposed.

Her head was spinning. Lightning knew that she just needed to make her way back to him and quickly did so, settling the two of them against a rock and sitting beside him.

"Are you sure you don't want the Potion?" she asked, somehow knowing what the answer would be.

"You might need it."

"That's not what I asked." But she didn't press it, and only put one of the wet rags to Hope's wound, wiping as gently as she could as to not aggravate the marks and make it bleed again.

They stayed like that in silence for quite some time. It was only when she heard an oddly content sigh from Hope that she realized that they'd even grown quiet at all. After all of her time in crystalization, silence wasn't exactly something Lightning needed, but this was…different. It was much more comfortable, and it soothed her to know that Hope was right here. Maybe he felt it, too, and it was why they'd never felt the need to fill those lulls with chatter. They'd always been like that, she realized.

Funny how even though their lives had changed so drastically, some things remained the same.

"…How is it?" she eventually murmured. Her motions with the bloodstained rags had slowed somewhat - his wounds still needed care, but they didn't look nearly as bad as they had before she'd cleaned them.

"Bearable," he murmured. After a moment, a sudden huff of amusement escaped him.

Lightning hoped he wasn't going delirious or something. "What is it?"

"This is like back on Cocoon, when we were l'cie." Hope's voice had grown a bit shameful. "All these years, and I'm still just a helpless kid slowing you down."

"You're older than me now," she reminded him, but it was clear that Hope didn't really care about the technicalities. She sighed, gathering her thoughts before replying. "You're not. You never were. You've always helped me more than you will ever know."

"…Yeah?"

She glanced up, only to see his eyes open and staring directly at her. "…Yeah." She cleared her throat and looked away, wondering why her heart was suddenly pounding. "Back then, you helped motivate me. If nothing else, I knew I had to protect you and get you home." A huff escaped her. "I suppose…I'm doing that all over again. I know that if nothing else, I need to get you back to Bhunivelze and - "

"No," Hope interrupted so abruptly that it seemed to pain him. He winced, pressing a hand to his side.

"No?"

He shook his head. "You didn't save the world alone all those years ago," he said quietly. "Who's to say you need to do it alone now?"

Lightning didn't answer. She couldn't. How could he sit here, obviously in a great deal of pain and with so many other bigger things to worry about, and still be so determined to be by her side?

What had she ever done to deserve that? It just didn't fit. Not with all of the sins she'd committed throughout this ordeal, and throughout her life. Even by simply allowing Hope to sit here in pain when she clearly could have given him that last Potion or _something _made her feel completely unworthy to have such a capable partner by her side.

"Hope…"

As though he could sense her conflicting thoughts, he slowly raised an arm, and after an extremely awkward pause, slipped it around her shoulders, tugging the two of them close together. It was an odd sensation, because she honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd felt a touch so innocent and comforting.

It was something to hang onto if the world really did end.

"I should be okay by tomorrow," he murmured into her hair, sounding remarkably comfortable for someone whose side had been slashed. "Will you stay with me until then?"

Lightning closed her eyes, hiding the tears that'd welled up as she rested her head on his shoulder. There was so much more at stake here. She needed to move ahead and complete her task for the benefit of the world. The very souls of the human race were dependent on her.

But there was one right here beside here that still mattered. Hadn't she caused him enough pain?

She nodded slightly, not opening her eyes, even when Hope's arm tightened around her. Her answer was not simply for the night, should they even come to survive beyond that.

"I will."


	52. deep in thought

**deep in thought; uhhh au of the game verse**

When time was frozen in afterthought, Hope had discovered one thing - that it was far too easy to find yourself concentrating on one thing, rather than putting the pieces together and moving along to see the whole picture.

It was especially devastating when that one thing was a person who hadn't taken a breath in centuries…and yet was still as alive as he was.

Chaos had spread to every reach of the world. It was particularly thick in the formerly Unseen Realm…now seen, ironically, thanks to a thick blanket of darkness. It hung in the sky - especially over the temple - like some sort of impenetrable force.

However, amidst it all, there was one shining beacon of, well, _light, _which had certainly made Hope's numerous treks up there very much worth the effort.

At least…they were to him. Sometimes, as he gazed at Lightning's crystallized form, he had to wonder if he was hoping for the wrong thing. Perhaps he needed to pray for the end; pray for doom and a quick death instead of any kind of salvation Lightning could bring them.

But at the same time, when he stared at her, her crystal so pristine and bright in the darkness, he found it a bit difficult to believe the end was near at all.

Always, he wondered when she would awaken, if ever. The fal'cie were gone. The goddess was dead. Anyone who could have possibly saved her from this fate was gone.

Though honestly, Hope wasn't so sure she would even _want _to wake up. Crystal was everlasting and impenetrable. Even if Chaos took over and the end of everything came, her statue would last an eternity and beyond. She would be the testimony to humanity's existence.

If he was completely honest and selfish, however…if the end _was_ near, he didn't want to go through it without her. There were too many things left unsaid between them; things he'd been itching to say for ages but never did - even now, when she was frozen, in case she could hear him.

"What are you dreaming about, Light?" he murmured, the first words he'd spoken out loud since coming up here. If he knew her at all, his first guess would have been that she was dreaming of her sister, and his heart twisted a little at the thought of recalling Serah's lifeless body in Noel's arms. Until he'd discovered the crystal here, Serah had been his only connection to Lightning.

She had to have known about her sister's fate. Perhaps that was why she chose to remain a crystal.

And yet…

"She wasn't the only one waiting for you," he said quietly. Not that he could have ever imagined being able to compete with that sisterly bond, but even so…

…There was a different kind of love he could offer Lightning.

Impulsively, Hope got to his feet. In all of his visits, he'd always remained a respectful distance away from her crystal form, like he was paying respects to a deity, but now he walked right up to her. Up close, he could see the rather somber expression on her face, obvious even with her eyes closed.

She'd known, then. And perhaps she hadn't believed there was anyone waited after Serah.

"But I always have been." This close, it didn't feel like he was talking to himself. She was so _real, _even despite the crystal. He could see every eyelash brushing her cheeks, the folds of her skin where her fingers were curled around her sword…and her lips, forever set in agony, her lower lip sticking out slightly as though trying to keep herself from crying.

Of course, now he could be the one to help her through the tears.

Hope reached out and cupped the smooth crystal of her face with one hand, noting with some surprise that it wasn't stone-cold. Maybe that was the work of her very soul.

And perhaps it was that thought that convinced him to lean down and press his lips against her crystallized ones in a longing kiss.

It was a ridiculous thought and an even more ridiculous notion, but he'd just wanted one moment. Just one, before everything ended. At least now, if nothing else, he could have no regrets.

When he pulled away, for a second, he thought it really _was _the end. A blinding flash of light filled the room and everything beyond - he shielded his eyes with a cry, but could just make out the glare even penetrating through the blanket of Chaos.

Eventually, it faded into something more bearable. Hope squinted though the brightness, confusion furrowing his brow as something glittering filled the air. He vaguely recognized it from his many trips to Oerba in the past.

Crystal dust.

Before he could fully form a thought to support to that, the light dimmed considerably, but he found as he dropped his arm, that it had not gone completely.

The real Light of this world was staring at him, shock and astonishment in her eyes. She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to, because he understood.

The saving light of this world could not exist without hope.


	53. mischief managed

**mischief managed; au**

This was the only wedding reception she'd ever been to, and yet Lightning had still decided that she hated them.

It wasn't as though she wasn't happy for the couple, of course. Snow and Serah had been beaming all day, taking in every congratulations and smiling so much it was a wonder their faces didn't hurt. The ceremony had been perfect - beautiful and touching, and Serah had only cried a tiny bit of her makeup off.

The reception, though…Lightning could take it or leave it. But unfortunately for her, she couldn't _leave _it, since she was the maid of honor and her attendance through the whole thing was pretty much mandatory. According to Serah, anyway.

Even so, she didn't see why she needed to stick around. She'd made her little speech, wishing the couple all of the happiness and threatened to punch Snow a new one if he _ever _made her sister cry (which, of course, had gotten laughter from the other guests and a look of horror from Snow). She'd eaten the slightly dry chicken dinner. She'd gladly eaten a rather large piece of the five-tiered wedding cake.

Why did she need to stick around, again?

"Light?"

Lightning looked over to her side, a smile forming on her face at the guest next to her. Hope always managed to find a way to seek her out at any of these family get-togethers. He'd even convinced her to dance with him a couple of times earlier.

"Hope," she replied, acknowledging him with a nod. The dance floor was still full of couples - of course Serah and Snow were dancing. She spotted Fang with Vanille, and smiled slightly at the sight of Dajh and Sazh "dancing" - the old man's son was standing on his feet, while Sazh held him up. She could easily picture the scene happening years from now with Snow and his future child with Serah…

"What's wrong?"

Too late, Lightning realized she'd shuddered at her own though. It wasn't as though she was against Snow and Serah having children - it was just so strange to think about.

"Nothing," she assured him, impulsively reaching out and squeezing his arm lightly. She completely missed the flush his cheeks took at the gesture. "Just…getting eager for this to end, I guess."

"You - " Hope coughed. "You're not having fun?"

She shrugged. "I can't say that I'm not. I just…" She looked at her perfectly manicured hands - at Serah's insistence - while searching for the right words. "I'm happy for them. It was a nice wedding. I just wish the celebrating didn't have to go well into the night."

That seemed to satisfy Hope, and he chuckled, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and grasping one of her hands. "Yeah, that sounds like you, Light."

Involuntarily, a smile crossed her lips when she looked at him. Then again, she'd been doing that a lot lately. Maybe it was because ever since he'd become the leader of a well-respected corporation just a year ago, he'd seemed so…grown-up.

Which, of course, was a stupid thought. He _was _in his twenties, and of course had been for awhile now.

"Did…" Hope shifted in his seat. "Did you want to dance again?"

Lightning's first thought was to tell him 'no'….but really, what did she have to lose? She couldn't leave, and dancing with Hope had always seemed to make the time fly by. During the slow songs, he'd hold her protectively close, one hand resting comfortably between her shoulder blades while the other twined with hers. Oddly, eventually even the music would fade away, like everything dwindled down to just the two of them.

How could she say no to experiencing that feeling?

Just as she'd opened her mouth to say 'yes', she heard Serah yell something about the bouquet. Ah, it must have been time to throw it. She watched in disinterest as what seemed like every single female took up the dance floor, their arms already outstretched.

"You're not gonna join them?" Hope asked.

"No." Lightning crossed her arms in annoyance. "They can have the bouquet if they want it so badly."

Hope hummed in what may have been agreement, but a minute later, they were both distracted by the bride. Serah was awkwardly standing on a chair, back facing to the gaggle of girls behind her.

"Ready?" she called. They all screamed in delight.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Everyone's eyes were on the flowers when Serah threw them. They sailed through the air, heading towards somewhere at the edge of the crowd.

With a swiftness that actually didn't surprise her, Lightning watched Vanille leap up, arms perfectly stretched for the bouquet. That made sense, at least. Perhaps she wanted to settle down and marry Fang.

But then, so quickly that she couldn't tell if it was an accident or not, Vanille moved her arm with an inhuman dexterity. The flowers smacked against Vanille's hand, and somehow, in a completely perfect arc…

…landed right in Hope's lap.

His eyes immediately widened and he jumped a little, startled. Instinctively, he tried to pass them off to the nearest female, since, well, this whole tradition was pretty much a girls-only thing.

And of course, the nearest female was Lightning.

She already uncrossed her arms to accept the bouquet, probably out of instinct as well - she was too used from her job in the Corps, where fellow soldiers would hand her weapons or goods.

Yes, that _had _to be the only reason she so readily accepted Hope's offer.

For a split second, she met his eyes. It was before the embarrassment took over, and she could somehow read every emotion in his expression. It was an utterly soft gaze, one that spoke of love, desire, longing…and dare she think it - hope.

No one had ever looked at her like that before.

But in an instant, it was gone. She stared at the flowers in her hands, trying not to blush and failing miserably. Hope was already stammering an apology, his face as red as the roses in the centerpiece on the table.

Vanille giggled, skipping her way over to Serah and high-fived her with a triumphant grin.

"Just as planned!"


	54. no way out

**no way out; what should totally be the lightning returns universe**

Though Lightning was more than used to doing things alone, she had to admit that being able to communicate with Hope as she traveled through Nova Chrysalia was extremely helpful. Sure, parts were familiar since it was made from the land of Gran Pulse, but it'd been centuries since she'd been there, either.

Luckily for her, Hope had become much more familiar with the land, even before Chaos had broke out. Somehow, he was always able to give her pointers about where she needed to go or what she needed to do next. Most of the time she listened to him, since he seemed to be one of the only people who was still on her side.

She was beginning to wonder if he was now somehow taking advantage of that.

"Are you _serious_?" she hissed into the communicator, trying to keep quiet. She'd made her way to a new town and didn't want to alert anyone to her presence until she'd gotten more of a feel for the place.

"I'm sorry, Light." It may have been because his voice was skewed by the technology, but Hope didn't actually sound all that sorry. "It'll be the only way you can get that key."

"I'm not doing it. There _must _be an alternate route - a roof I can climb on, or something."

"The passage you need to get into is considered sacred," Hope explained. "If they caught you looking like you do…I don't even want to think about what kind of punishment they'd dole out."

Lightning grew quiet for a moment, but she still sounded annoyed when she answered. "It's sacred to everyone but…but…"

"Except brides, yes."

This could not be happening. "So you're telling me that in order to get the key that I need, I have to dress up like…like a _bride._"

"Yes."

Lightning wasn't sure, but Hope didn't sound entirely professional in that one-word answer. She literally couldn't spend the time to think more on it, though - and she couldn't spend precious minutes thinking of an alternate way to complete this little mission, either. Even after all this time, she trusted Hope indefinitely.

If he claimed she needed to look completely ridiculous…so be it.

"Fine," she eventually grumbled. It wasn't as though there was a way out of this - she _needed _this key to get the monorail back up and running. "I'll just need to dress up and present myself?"

"Yes," Hope repeated. "Luckily, the key is in the passage that's deemed for brides. It's locked in safe, but of course you should have no problems getting that open. After you retrieve it, well…"

"I can't wait," she muttered, tentatively looking around. "Where am I supposed to find the right outfit?"

"I'll help," Hope offered, and of course proved to be very competent and efficient, as he had been this entire time. It made Lightning wish in the back of her mind that she'd been able to physically visit him while she'd been trapped in Valhalla, rather than simply appearing in a dream of his.

It was a reason why she needed to think about the fate of the world first and foremost - she did not want despair and doubt to cripple her if she kept thinking of the 'what-ifs'.

Besides, if things went right, she would have all the time in the world to make amends with him.

Sooner than she would have liked, Lightning had gotten herself into a dress she'd 'borrowed' from an older woman, along with a couple of accessories she'd gotten her hands on that would better help her look the part. According to Hope, anyway.

It was a task and a half to get herself into this outfit. The dress seemed simple enough, with its modest sweetheart neckline and the flowered fabric gathered at the waist, but there was some kind of weird undergarment that was attached. Why did anyone bother?

She also put on some jewelry and the ridiculous-looking shoes. It was only when she was trying to figure out the veil - because apparently it was _completely _necessary - that Lightning got back into contact with Hope.

"Okay," she grunted. "I look the part."

"Let me see," he insisted. "There's a certain flair brides in this town go for. I want to make sure you'll be able to sneak in without question."

At any other time, Lightning would have protested - especially since setting up a video feed so that they could see each other took time they literally could not afford to waste. But then again, she logically figured that it would take less time to do this and be sure, rather than go in unprepared and get caught, potentially wasting a day or more, so she agreed.

She was in the middle of adjusting the veil when the video finally connected, and she saw the somewhat fuzzy image of Hope's face. It would have been crystal-clear if the Chaos hadn't been interfering with such things.

But she was certain she wouldn't have missed the way Hope's eyes widened even if the video had been mostly static.

"Light…" he said slowly, as though making sure it was really her.

"I know, I know." She finally managed to get the veil on right. This whole headache had better be worth it. "I look ridiculous."

"No!" He cleared his throat after an awkward pause, then continued in a calmer voice, "…No. You don't at all. You look…"

Perhaps it was the soft edge his tone had taken on. Maybe it was the way she could tell his cheeks had grown a little red. Or it could have even been the slightly slack-jawed expression on his face.

At any rate, Lightning's heart began to race wildly. Immediately, she told herself not to be ridiculous, though of course at the same time she was wondering what the cause was for Hope's starry-eyed gaze.

It was almost one of.._.awe._

"…You look perfect." He finally finished his sentence in that softer voice; the one that held more than a hint of longing. Longing for this to end, for things to be right…for her to come home.

"…Thanks, I guess." Lightning cleared her throat. "Good enough to get through?"

And all at once, Hope was all business again. He nodded, knowing that she had to get going, speaking one more line of encouragement before the video cut out.

"Knock 'em dead."


	55. sport

**sport; au**

For as long as he'd known her, Lightning had made it clear that her time at the gym was _her _time. A lot of women went to a spa or did some shopping as a way to relax; Lightning instead worked those endorphins. Hope supposed it made sense. Wasn't exercise supposed to relax you?

At any rate, he'd always respected the fact that gym time was her alone time. It'd only take two offers for him to join her until he'd gotten the hint.

On this day, however, Hope had started to wonder what the penalty was for interruption - they had plans to go out to dinner, but Lightning wasn't answering her phone. He didn't know if she'd lost it at the gym - oh, who was he kidding, she never lost _anything _- but he'd made reservations, and he'd lose them if they didn't show up to eat on time.

Finally, he decided that, screw it, he'd look for her at the gym. Worst case scenario, they'd just miss each other and he'd have to make the drive back home. No big deal.

Hope hadn't been to this gym in ages, but he found he was still pretty familiar with the layout and went about looking for Lightning. He didn't find her in the room with the treadmills, nor was she with the weightlifters. And she _definitely _wasn't in the aerobics class.

After roaming around for about ten minutes in confusion, wondering where the hell his girlfriend was - or if she was even here - he heard some loud noises coming from a room down the hall. Curiously, he opened the door, slightly relieved to see Lightning going to town on a punching bag. Duh - somehow he'd forgotten that kickboxing had always been her sport of choice.

Instinctively, he opened his mouth to greet her, but it died when he _really_ took in the sight in front of him. She hadn't heard or noticed him standing there, so she remained oblivious to any eyes on her and kept up with her workout.

Hope stared. And _stared. _

Clearly she'd been at it for quite some time - her tank top was practically sticking to her skin with sweat, leaving very little to the imagination. In fact, the intensity of what she was doing had left a light sheen of sweat over every inch of visible skin, and there was quite a lot of that considering those biker shorts she was wearing. Even her hair seemed extra curly due to the heat surrounding her, and she hadn't bothered to pull it back, so it stuck to her face in a manner that just made Hope's hands itch to brush it out of the way.

How long he stood there, he couldn't say - he was completely mesmerized. It wasn't just the fact that she looked _incredibly _intoxicating, but it was the intense determination on her expression that really threatened to do him in. She was completely into what she was doing, like she had no other goal in mind. That focus had always been something he loved about her.

While he definitely could have stood there and watched her for days, the portion of his brain that still had some logic reminded him of those dinner reservations. Eventually, it was with great hesitation that Hope cleared his throat to gain her attention.

Lightning abruptly stopped and spun around, her expression one of utter annoyance for a moment, but it immediately faded to something a lot more calm. She even smiled somewhat.

_Whew._

"Hey." She spoke rather evenly, despite trying to catch her breath. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Even the logical side of Hope's mind was going haywire when Lightning turned to face him fully in all of her sexy, sweaty glory, but the dangerous glint in her eyes luckily made him speak. "Er - we have dinner reservations for later, and you weren't answering your phone, so I just figured I'd…come look for you."

She frowned slightly in confusion, wandering over towards her bag to retrieve her phone, eyes widening a bit when she unlocked it and saw the time. "Sorry." She put her phone away, grabbing a bottle of water instead. "I lost track of time. I guess I got really into it."

Hope had been about to answer, but Lightning chose that moment to drink from the water bottle. Her head tilted back, allowing some drops to escape unknowingly from her lips, and he watched in rapt fascination as a droplet trailed down her chin and slooowly over her neck, slowing as it approached her chest…

"Uh - " He cleared his throat again. "…Yeah. I guess so."

She quirked an eyebrow, finally putting that blasted water bottle away and stood up. To Hope's ever-dwindling logic, her arms rose over her head in a stretch, a satisfied little groan escaping her when her back arched. That little motion made the hem of her tank top ride up a little and oh hey, Lightning apparently wore her navel ring while she worked out.

"…Are you all right?"

Too late, Hope realized that he'd made an extremely unmanly, obvious squeaking noise while watching her. Luckily, Lightning didn't seem to understand the context, since she still looked confused, though he had to wonder if she was really that oblivious.

"Uh. Yeah." Again, he cleared his throat. "Fine, fine. Um…are you feeling any better?"

"I am, actually." She bent over to retrieve her bag, and Hope couldn't help but let his eyes wander, since her shorts left very little to the imagination. "I'll need to stop by at home and shower before dinner, though. Can't say I'm all that fond of public ones."

"…Yeah." Hope's lack of a proper response was due to the fact that his mind had instantly become flooded with extremely improper images at the thought of her taking a shower. Lightning remained oblivious, however, and simply gave him another confused look before leaning down to hoist the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

Hope would have been perfectly fine with that, except when she started walking to leave the room, she just _had _to brush against him. Instantly, he became aware of the scent of sweat clinging to her skin - something he was usually only privy to in the bedroom - and how her clothes were clinging to her body like they'd simply been poured there. Her muscles seemed even stronger and more visible, which just made her lean physique look even more attractive.

Not for the first time, Hope wondered how the hell he'd gotten so lucky.

All of those sweet, nostalgic thoughts instantly gave way to ones a lot more primal. Completely on instinct, he reached out and grasped her arm, swiftly pulling her close to him, just barely taking in her surprised expression as he swallowed her gasp with a hungry kiss.

Given that they were in a public place and that she usually abhorred PDA, Hope was momentarily stunned when she didn't immediately push him away. Her hands rested on his shirt for a moment like she wanted to, but apparently the intensity of the kiss kept her rooted, her fingers curling into the fabric instead as she kissed back just as hungrily. A low moan escaped him at her response, which was definitely preferable to that unmanly squeak earlier.

The only reason he pulled away a minute later was for air, since he certainly could have stayed in that liplock for ages otherwise. A wave of satisfaction hit him when he opened his eyes to see Lightning's face even more flushed than it had been during her workout, breathing heavily like she'd done another hour of kickboxing.

"What…" Her voice was as dazed as her expression.

Hope chuckled breathlessly, feeling like he'd done some working out himself. "Maybe I could keep my hands to myself if you didn't look so irresistible after a workout."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Workout clothes are hardly irresistible."

He tried not to sound sheepish when he answered her, thinking he succeeded when he ran his hand lightly down her back and side, reveling in the way she leaned into the touch. "They are when they're clinging to you."

For a second, her brows simply knitted in confusion. Hope could practically _see _her mind putting all the pieces together - his lackluster conversation earlier, those unmanly noises, the kiss just now…

When she finally answered, it was, luckily, in amusement. "How…_male _of you."

"Sorry." He grinned, definitely relieved she wasn't mad. "I am what I am."

"Tch." With a tiny smile of her own, she lightly punched his chest, leaning down to grab her bag, which had fallen down at some point during their kiss. "Let's get home and put that manliness to better use."

"What about dinner?"

A smirk formed on her face. "I'd rather have dessert first."


	56. fairy tale

**fairy tale**; au

Once upon a time, there was a princess in a faraway land. She had long hair the color of a sunrise and eyes that rivaled a midday sky in beauty. She was considered the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, and perhaps the most beautiful princess there ever was.

A lot of people wanted to meet the princess and see her beauty in person, but unfortunately, most didn't think to look beyond that. For much of the time, she was surrounded by admirers - townspeople who lavished her with gifts, artists who would create things in her honor, and princes from far and wide that would seek her hand in marriage.

Though at first she relished in these things like a spoiled little lady, it wasn't long before she realized that most everyone only liked the way she looked on the outside. They didn't know that she loved roses, hated cabbage, and could kill anything with the whirl of a survival knife.

She knew no one would ever know these things unless she lived her life up to her own rules. And so, she devised a plan to run away.

The princess snuck down to the palace kitchen one night and packed herself some food. She covered herself with servant's robes she had snitched, and as an added precaution, stained her petal-smooth skin with the juice of several rotten berries. It marred her face for the time being, giving her the perfect disguise.

Just as she'd reached the edge of the palace walls, bringing herself closer to freedom, someone tugged on her sleeve. The princess instinctively swung her survival knife at the intruder, believing it to be a guard.

"Please spare me!" the intruder shouted. The princess lowered her knife, eyes narrowed as she stared at him, not recognizing the young man that stood in front of her.

"What is your business out here at this time of night?" she demanded to know.

"I also had a plan to run away," he confessed. "I know not of why you do so, but I believe we could help each other survive until we find a new way of life."

She hesitated, but quickly realized this would be for her benefit. Besides being trained to throw a knife, the princess was skilled in little else that would have much use beyond the palace walls. Surely this man could help her in some way.

"All right," she finally agreed. "But I humbly make one request - that you never gaze upon my face, no matter what the circumstance."

If the man thought this an odd request, he didn't say so, and only glanced away and nodded. "I will do what you ask."

From there, it was a simple matter of leaving the palace grounds through the servant's quarters. The princess was exhilarated to be on her own - well, almost - and while she faltered at times, it wasn't long before she had carved what felt like a better life for herself. She learned to kill and cook her own food, and the young man who became her most loyal companion even taught her how to use a bow and arrow, so that she became even more able.

Likewise, she taught him how to thoroughly cook his meat, how to mend his clothes, and even some songs to help pass the time. And all throughout this process of them building a new life, he kept his word and never once looked at her face, though many times he was certainly tempted. Several times, he noticed the juice of rotten berries on her hands and wondered if she put it on her face, as though to deter him from temptation.

Over time, the young man realized he was growing rather fond of his mysterious companion. She offered little about her own life, but did seem genuinely sympathetic when he spoke of his desire to be a scholar, despite the fact that he was seen as little more than another pair of hands to do the dirty work in the palace. It was only when they'd managed to steal a book from an old scholar so that the young man may read it and entertain them that she was convinced that was what he was meant to do.

The book was a multitude of stories from all sorts of writers throughout the ages. Though the princess could certainly read herself, she seemed to like hearing her companion read out loud much better. Oftentimes, she would fall asleep to the soothing tone of his voice, her head nestled on his shoulder. His eyes always remained ahead and never on her, as was his promise.

Despite never seeing her face, he gradually grew to realize that he loved her dearly. He would always reverently look forward to when her head would fall upon his shoulder, only barely getting glimpses of her stained skin.

Usually, he would move her so that they lay apart in sleep, but one night, he decided not to. They remained twined together, leaning against a tree as they slept. But it also happened that this would be the morning their refuge in the woods was discovered.

"Thieves! Intruders!"

The young man and the princess woke with a start when they realized that they were being trailed. Quickly, they gathered what they could and ran away, but their pursuers were relentless. Eventually, they came upon a stream.

"Quick, we must cross this and hope they don't dare follow," the young man said.

Knowing there were things in life you just needed to do, the princess made her way across the water. Carrying their things made both of them clumsy, and they fell several times, but miraculously, they made it to the other side just as their pursuers lost interest.

"Let us hope they don't have more waiting on this side." The princess knelt by the stream, wringing out the excess water from her robes.

"We should easily outrun them." It was only as he said this that the young man's book - his most prized possession - slipped from his hands and fell into the stream. Instinctively, the princess leaned in and reached for it, though the book was in a sorry state when she rescued it.

Little did she know, the young man had gone to gather it at the same moment. When she turned her head to return the book - no matter what its sorry state - to him, he did not have time to look away. Instantly, he found himself looking at hair that was the color of a sunrise and eyes that rivaled the beauty of a midday sky. He could not bear to tear his gaze away.

The princess gasped and glanced at her reflection in the stream, realizing at once that the water had washed away the berry juice that she used to mar her skin.

"I must go," she said, quickly getting up. The man was from the palace, and surely he would bring her back.

"Wait, Your Highness." He grasped her arm, but did not look at her face again. "Truly, you are beautiful in your hair, your eyes, and every way that is easily seen. But I…I must confess that I fell in love with the things that are not so easily seen. Your bravery, your compassion, and your will to live the way you want to. Please, let me gaze at you as I have always wanted to."

Slowly, the princess turned to face the young man, seeing only honesty in his eyes. She realized that there were many things she loved about him as well - things that no one but her had bothered to see.

Of course, they were there, if one took the time to look.

—

Snow peeked over his brother-in-law's shoulder, chuckling quietly at the sight of his daughter sucking her thumb. "Whoa, you actually got her to go to sleep. What'd you do, tell her that fairy tale again?"

Hope nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. I mean, she likes it, so I figured…why not."

"Anything to help the cause!" Snow laughed. "Has Light ever heard it?"

Hope blushed. "No."

"Probably a good thing. She doesn't seem like the type to go for that princess-y stuff, y'know?"

"I guess." He glanced at his phone, noting that his wife and Serah were due back soon. At least now he could get the credit for doing most of the babysitting - not that Snow hadn't done anything, of course. This was his own daughter and all.

But Snow and his daughter were completely alike in the fact that it took them both forever to get to sleep.

"Think you'll ever get another story up your sleeve?" Snow asked. "I mean, she likes that one now, but y'know. Kids."

"…You're right." Hope chuckled. "I think next time, the princess should be fiercely independent. That's what I've always loved about her."


	57. drink

**drink; the most cliche au ever**

Hope had never imagined himself working in a coffee shop after graduating, but really, it wasn't so bad. It was a nice, little family-owned place that he'd actually been coming to for years, and it wasn't the end of the line for him - a scientific corporation was opening a branch in the next city over, and he already had a position lined up there.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't take effect for several months, hence his simple job of serving coffee and pastries. He figured it was a way to earn a bit of extra money while he was waiting for the "actual" career to happen.

"Hope! Pay attention! It's gettin' to be a madhouse out there!"

Hope chuckled to himself at the owner's spazzy declaration. There were four customers in here - nothing he couldn't handle, unless they had some sort of ridiculously specific order. And even then, it was no big deal. He'd also learned long ago not to take the owner - a kindly man named Sazh - too seriously. The man was usually as laid back as they came, and only wanted the best for his customers. It was likely why this little place had stayed in business for so long.

"Large, no milk, three sugars." Hope pushed the cup across the counter, nodding a little when the customer slid their card to pay. "Thanks. Have a good day."

The words were menial, an automatic reaction. Funny how he'd never thought that back then, when he came here when he was younger, since their parents would always leave them here to do their shopping…

_"You, too." She nodded seriously, but a much more pleasant expression took over her face when she turned, carrying two hot chocolates and a giant bag of pastries. The brownies here were this coffee shop's best-kept secret._

_Hope was immediately by her side. "Lemme help."_

_"I've got it." Despite this, she handed one of the cups over. "Good thing Sazh still makes this hot chocolate for us. I definitely prefer it over coffee."_

_"Yeah, me too." He took a sip as the two slid into their usual table. "Just think, though, someday we'll be old enough to drink coffee."_

_"Not me."_

_He grinned, breaking off a piece of one of the giant brownies he'd snatched from the bag and handing it to her. "I bet you'll be eating those words one day."_

_She took the treat from him with a sly smile. "We'll see."_

"Hope! Look alive!"

He blinked in confusion, wondering where the hell _that _had come from. He hadn't thought about her in years.

…Four years, to be exact.

"They're comin' in fast." Sazh had somehow made his way to the counter, which was odd since he usually stayed in the office and dealt with the business side of things here - but then again, they were the only two employed for that day. "Bettin' it's because of the rain. You just give old Sazh a shout if you need help, all right?"

"Yeah." Hope managed a smile as he turned to pour more coffee. "C'mon, like I've ever had any trouble in _that _area."

Sazh responded with a chuckle and a pat on his shoulder before disappearing into the back office, leaving Hope to the sudden plethora of customers.

_She wrinkled her nose at the strong smell. "What's _in _here? It smells more like a dessert than a drink."_

_"Aw, c'mon. Just try it." Hope nudged the styrofoam cup a bit closer, unable to hide the smile on his lips at her expression. All of them were becoming more and more endearing over the years, but he'd never said a word to her about it. They were best friends, and he was determined to keep it that way._

_"…Fine." After a moment of hesitance, she took a sip, a sudden look of surprise crossing her eyes._

_"You like it?"_

_"…Yeah." She took another sip, this one almost sheepish, somehow. "What's in it?"_

_"It's a Sazh specialty, just for us." Hope unconsciously nudged his chair closer to hers. "A large with a double shot of espresso, three pumps of caramel syrup, and one sugar."_

_"I thought he got rid of the caramel syrup."_

_"He's keeping it just for us."_

_"….That's nice of him." She glanced down into her drink with a faint smile. "Okay. I guess I have a new usual."_

As the crowd grew, Hope was tempted to snag a triple espresso for himself. He still didn't need Sazh's help - at least for the moment - but everyone's orders were gradually becoming more and more complicated, and he cursed the day coffee became a corporation they had to compete with.

The shop was filling with people and there was so much noise that he could barely hear himself think. He hopped up to the register at the next customer in line, not giving them a look because he was halfway watching the new pot brewing, ready to grab it the second it was ready. "What can I get for you?" he asked in a rushed, slightly annoyed voice.

"…Large with a double shot of espresso, three pumps of caramel syrup, and one sugar."

For one long minute, everything stopped. It wasn't just the voice behind that order…but it was the order itself. Nobody knew about the caramel syrup except…

He gasped sharply. "…Lightning?"

_"I have to talk to you."_

_"…So do I."_

_Hope's heart leaped. Could it be? Maybe it was for the same reason? That would certainly make this confession a lot easier. He practically skipped to their usual table, completely missing the somewhat somber look on her face._

_She let out a quiet sigh once they were seated with their coffee. "…You first."_

_He shook his head. His chest physically hurt, and he was going crazy with not being able to say it - that over the years, over hundreds of meetings like this and a friendship deeper than he had with anyone else, he'd somehow fallen in love with her. He figured that today, the day after their high school graduation, was a perfect time to say it - but it would be a lot easier if she said it first._

_She didn't look amused at his head shake, though. "Hope…"_

_He leaned back in his chair. "Same time?"_

_"…Okay. Sure." _

_This was it. He was sure they would blurt out the same three words that would totally change them for the better. It was exhilarating to say his after the count of three. _

_"I love you."_

_"I'm going overseas."_

_"…What?"_

_"What?!"_

_For a full minute, they just stared at each other, both in shock by each other's news. Hope was positive he'd hear her wrong, and wanted to ask, but all that came out was a croaking noise. Luckily, she broke the silence._

_"…What did you say?"_

_At her question, all of his feelings seemed to rush in him like a waterfall. He took one of her hands, ignoring the stunned expression on her face. "I love you, Lightning," he said earnestly. "I have for a long time. Years. I know we're friends, but I also know without a doubt that I want to be with you. It's always been you." He completely ignored the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. "I know it'll be hard with us going off to college and everything, but - "_

_"That's just it," she interrupted, taking her hand back. "I got accepted into an accelerated program overseas. I'm leaving in a week."_

_"What?!"_

_"I just found out yesterday, or I would have told you. They gave out the acceptances at a really late notice." Her hands went around her cup, like she was wordlessly telling Hope not to take it again. "I'm going to be there most of next year."_

_Hope was completely dumbfounded. Even if he hadn't had such strong feelings for her, this news would have been a complete blow. The two of them had spent so much time together for practically their whole lives, and now…?_

_"…We can…always do a long distance thing," he suggested meekly._

_She immediately shook her head, surprising him when she abruptly stood up. "We can't. It would be easier if we just didn't talk anymore."_

_"What?"_

_"I'm leaving." She crumpled her empty cup in one hand, a strange note of anguish in her voice that he completely missed. "Goodbye, Hope."_

_"Light, wait - !"_

_But it was already too late. By the time he'd sped out the door after her, she was already lost in the crowd._

Four years.

Four years without a single word of contact - nothing to let him know that she was even alive.

But here she was. Right in front of him, like all of those lonely years had never existed, like he hadn't spent his time throwing himself into schoolwork so that he could forget about her, or avoiding this shop until he'd needed a job, or wishing every night that he could just talk to her one more time.

The other customers were completely forgotten. Her familiar blue eyes was all he saw.

"Light…"

Four years, and his feelings hadn't changed. They'd been locked away and muted somewhat, but everything was unleashed at seeing her. All this time…and he still loved her.

Did she know? She must have. It was written so plainly on his face.

"…And one of those brownies, too."

"Huh?" Everything came crashing down - the customers, the smell of coffee, the register that was making a beeping noise, and it occurred to him that she'd made an order. "Oh, yeah. Uh…" He punched it into the register, trying to calm his racing heart as he wordlessly raced around to put the order together, finding the caramel reserves in a secret cabinet. He had no idea what to say when he gave her her drink - and that brownie, of course - but it didn't matter, because when he handed them to her, she put her hand on his.

At that moment, he knew.

Lightning kept the gesture, but then seemed too alerted by the annoyance of the customers behind her. "I'll be at our usual table," she murmured, squeezing his hand lightly before taking a drink. "We have a lot to talk about."

"…Yeah." He smiled, not even minding the grumbling of the next order, since he'd instead kept his eyes on Lightning sitting in her usual chair like nothing had changed.

Except…_everything _had changed.

They did have a lot to talk about, but he knew that this time, neither of them would leave without the other.


	58. stars

**stars; au**

If he hadn't known that the woman beside him was just as new to dating as he was, Hope would have been a lot more nervous…which was saying quite a bit, considering his nerves were jumping around his stomach like a frog.

But nerves or not, he was going to take advantage of this and show Lightning a nice night. After all, if anything, she completely deserved it. He couldn't imagine that someone working three dead-end jobs to support a sister in college got many opportunities for fun. Hope really, well, _hoped_ that she would like the idea he'd concocted. He'd never really cared for any of the girls that his father always tried to set him up with and never made any effort to be romantic with them. He was just polite.

Meeting Lightning had changed his whole world, and continued to do so. She'd been the first person in a long, long while who wanted to actually get to know _him_ and didn't seem to give a damn about his family name or money, despite the fact that she was just barely keeping her head above the poverty line.

Then of course, there was the fact that she was beautiful, sharp as a whip, and a lot smarter than he was sure people gave her credit for. Evidence came up for that quite often…like right now.

"…We're not going out to dinner, are we?"

Hope shifted in the driver's seat, trying to keep his voice even. "Of course we are. What gave you the idea that we aren't?"

"I've been serving down this way," she replied, referring to one of her jobs helping out with a catering company. "There's a couple of multimillion-dollar places out here, but no restaurants or anything." She turned to him with a slightly tense expression. "…We're not having dinner with some client of your father's or something, are we?"

"No," Hope answered, maybe a little too quickly. He cleared his throat. "No, of course not. You'll see."

Lightning rolled her eyes a little, clearly not one to like surprises, but fell quiet. Hope always imagined it was because she was mentally relaxing herself or something - from the start, she'd always looked incredibly tense sitting in his expensive car, like she would taint it or something ridiculous like that.

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder lightly, giving her a slight smile before his eyes returned to the road, looking for the right turnoff. It was past the expensive houses she'd mentioned. The farther along he drove, the more he could practically feel her curiosity as a tangible thing.

Man, he really hoped this would go over well.

"…Where are we?" she asked in confusion, after he'd parked in a random patch of grass.

"I call it my hideout, even though it's out in the open." He smiled, resting his fingertips between her shoulder blades once they were both out of the car. She tensed a little at first at the touch, but quickly relaxed. It was one of her subtle signs that she was beginning to truly trust him. "Once I got my first car, I'd come out here when I needed to get away. Y'know, be alone."

"So how come you brought me?"

"I…" Aaaand here was the part he was always bad at - talking about his feelings. The older he got, the harder it seemed to put them into actual words. He wanted to blame his father - emotion had no room in the high-class business world - but Hope knew it was likely his own awkwardness. "I just…I figured it was somewhere where we didn't have to pretend. We have to live behind these roles, and it gets so tiring. Not to mention…" He smiled at her shocked face, gesturing to an area he'd had someone set up a couple feet away, "there's a dinner waiting for us."

Lightning's stunned expression grew even more so at the sight of the large picnic blanket spread out on the grass. There was an assortment of food in plastic containers, along with plates and silverware.

"Hope…"

"C'mon." He tugged on her arm, leading her to the nighttime picnic. "Let's eat."

Usually he was more than content to have a leisurely meal, but this time, he wanted to hurry through it. Lightning didn't seem to mind, though Hope couldn't help but wonder in the back of his mind if she had enough money for basic groceries - she was eating an awful lot.

Then again, it'd been a long day.

There was an awkward pause when they'd finished eating that just so happened to come with a lull in conversation. After a moment's hesitance, Hope pulled Lightning against him, his arm around her shoulders. She hesitated some more, but his patience was rewarded when her head fell to rest on his shoulder, fitting so naturally like it was meant to be there.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hope saw it.

Perfect timing.

"Look up," he murmured into her hair.

Lightning obeyed, and he chuckled under his breath at her confused expression. All that was there was the dark, star-studded sky, and he _knew_ she was going to ask him what he was talking about - until she saw it too.

She gasped quietly, her eyes growing wide with wonder at the display of dozens of falling stars streaking across the sky. "A meteor shower," she murmured, turning to look at Hope. "Did you plan this?"

"Maybe." He smiled, squeezing her shoulder.

Her gaze returned to the sky as she brought her knees up to her chest, leaning into Hope a little more. "I haven't seen one since I was a little girl," she said quietly, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat. "It's one of the few memories I have with my entire family."

"….." His hold on her tightened at hearing this. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind, and Hope made a promise to himself to give her as many good moments like this as possible. She deserved it, but above all…he simply wanted to make her happy.

They watched in silence as the stars continued to fall. A minute later, Hope spoke again. "Did you make a wish?"

She huffed in amusement. "Do you really think that works?"

"It couldn't hurt," he pointed out with a smile. "There's a lot of stars to help out."

"…Yeah. I guess." Her eyes closed momentarily, and he could've sworn they looked a little glassy when she opened them. After a respectable amount of quiet, Lightning glanced up at him. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Did _you_ make a wish?"

Hope's eyes flickered to the display in the sky, then back down to the woman in his arms - the woman he'd found he would gladly give up everything for, whose happiness he valued above all, who deserved so much more than she had.

His reply came after a soft, sweet kiss that nearly left the two of them breathless. "I'd have to be the greediest man in the world to wish for anything right now."


	59. kick in the head

**kick in the head; au**

Hope trudged up the stairs to his apartment, feeling exhausted and depressed…which had been the norm for the past few months, unfortunately. Sure, his trip overseas had been incredible and done wonders for his research. If he kept working hard, he was sure to get miles ahead of others in the field and hopefully soon land a position at the head of the company. It was something he should have been over the moon about.

Instead, he just felt numb.

He tried to ignore that feeling and instead embraced the anticipation of being home. It was easier when he was immediately greeted at the door by his well-meaning roommate.

"Heyyyy, look who's back!" Snow grinned and clapped a hand on Hope's back in a brotherly fashion. "How's it feel, being a world traveler?"

"Tiring," Hope replied, only half-teasing. "Did you like having the place all to yourself?"

"You bet, dude." Snow snickered in appreciation. "It'll be nice havin' you back, though. I'll have someone to clean up my messes."

"Yeah, I'm surprised the place survived intact." Hope managed a smile, though it quickly faded when he saw a flash of familiar-colored hair. His pounding heart and sudden lightheadedness brought it all back to before he'd left.

_…The look on her face when she'd read the email before he could tell her. It was a case of impeccably rotten timing, since he'd come over that night simply to tell her about this trip. The worst part hadn't been that he'd neglected to tell her at all – that was bad enough – but it was that he was going along with an ex-girlfriend who clearly still had feelings for him; feelings that Lightning had known about._

_Whether it had been the shock of the trip itself, the unwanted person going along, or the fact that he'd neglected to mention it at all, Hope didn't know. Either way, it all added up into an explosive argument that neither of them had ever experienced before. Rage just wasn't an emotion that Hope had much experience with, especially when it was coming from a woman he loved. _

_She accused him of lying. He tried to assure her that he'd been going to tell her everything today, but she refused to listen. Why would he wait so long to say something, if there was nothing to hide?_

_The stuttering lack of answer had probably been his downfall. Her usually lovely face had twisted into something full of anger, which matched her low tone when she demanded that he get out. _

_Hope knew there was no use. He was leaving soon, anyway. Maybe it was for the best._

_The last thing he'd heard before he'd turned and left with a heavy heart was the sound of something metallic hitting the floor, his heart clenching painfully when it dawned on him what it was._

"Are you all right?"

Hope blinked a few times out of surprise, his heart rate slowing down when he realized who was speaking to him - the hair color was off and the voice was much too sweet.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." He managed a little smile. "Good to see you again, Serah."

He had no idea what to make of how the way her head tilted in thought at his lame greet, but to his surprise, she turned to her boyfriend instead. "Snow, can I talk to Hope alone for a minute?"

"Ohhhh, I see how it is." A goofy grin formed on his face. "Want some alone time with the smart world traveler, huh?"

She giggled and playfully slapped his chest. "You need to take me home soon anyway, or Li - " She abruptly stopped and glanced at Hope in an apologetic manner, her happy expression falling a bit.

He just shook his head. "It's okay. I mean…" He shrugged. "I guess I'll have to get used to it."

Serah didn't looked convinced, which just confused him some more, but she just gave Snow a little push. "Go warm up the car for me! I'll be down in a minute, okay?"

"Whatever the lady commands!" Snow grinned and gave a two-fingered salute. "And hey, Hope, want me to pick up a pizza or something on the way back? There's, uh, not a whole lot in the fridge."

"Sure, if you want." Hope hadn't felt much like eating for the past few months. He blamed it on being immersed in his work during this study program, but he knew that wasn't completely it.

"All riiiight." After a quick smooch with Serah, Snow headed out the door. The second it was just the two of them, Serah turned to Hope with a rather serious expression - one he rarely saw on her.

"…She's still wearing it."

"Huh?"

"That ring." Serah sort of grasped her right hand, as though for emphasis. "She's been wearing it this entire time."

Realization dawned on Hope, and for the second time in less than five minutes, he grew lightheaded with feeling.

_"It belonged to my mother." Hope handed over the tiny velvet box, his heart thudding in nervous, trying to say this in a way that would make her understand. "She left it to me, intending that I give it to someone that makes me feel true to myself." A pause. "…Someone I love."_

_"Hope…" There was a bit of hesitation before the box was open, a gasp immediately filling the silence. "What…"_

_"I-I'm not asking for anything," he said quickly. Why had he thought this was a good idea, again? "I just…I just want you to know how I feel, that's all. That I'm…" He gazed at her shocked face, feeling a bit calmer at the sight. "…I'm in this for the long run. At least, if you are."_

_Despite the fact that those words clearly had an effect on her, she still shook her head. "I can't accept this." She attempted to hand the box back to him. "If it was your mother's, you should have it. It's yours."_

_"No." His hand covered hers as their eyes met, his gaze oddly serious, but incredibly honest. "It's yours."_

_Silence. Whether it was from the look on his face or the set tone that he never used, she actually seemed to think about it rather than simply insisting she couldn't take this token. Eventually, a faint smile graced the corner of her lips and she nodded, handing him the box, only to extend out her right hand._

_"In that case…I'm here for the long run, too."_

_He stared for a moment, like he wasn't sure what the box was doing back in his hand, but finally grinned, pulling the silver ring from the box and slipping it onto her finger. The diamonds and light blue gems dotting the band were fitting, he thought. They matched her eyes perfectly, shining even when they closed as they leaned in for a kiss._

His mother's ring. The ring he'd given her almost a year ago in promise - the ring that he'd heard her fling to the floor at the last second during their fight.

She'd put it back on.

Hope sounded stupidly breathless when he finally replied. At this point, he was sure someone could knock him over with a feather. "She is?"

Serah looked oddly pleased at his reaction and nodded. "Yes. She won't admit why, but…she knows."

"I can't - " He was still reeling from the fact that she was still wearing it. "I can't just…"

"You'll figure it out." She smiled and patted his arm. "But I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." That seemed to her cue to exit, but before she opened the door, she turned and gave him a little wave. "Welcome home."

"Thanks."

Once Serah had left, Hope sank down onto the couch, staring at nothing with a completely stunned look on his face. It may have been fitting that he'd never felt such a surge of hope in his life. Perhaps that was why things were starting to look a lot brighter…which was also rather fitting.

_This isn't the end, Lightning. I know it._


	60. expectations

**expectations; au. also nsfw**

Somehow, he'd pictured things going much differently than this.

Not that this was in any way bad, oh no. After being together for over a year, both Hope and Lightning had decided that they were both ready to take the next step in their relationship…physically. It'd been strange to discuss it and even weirder to think about it actually happening, because it was three dates in before they'd even shared a chaste kiss. They'd always taken things slow.

Not that Hope would have any complaints about turning things up a notch, oh no. After all, Lightning was gorgeous and amazingly attractive. He'd be lying if he claimed he hadn't imagined it multiple times…especially after the first time he'd seen her in a bikini.

Despite the fact that they would be each other's first, that he'd never even come _close_ to this with any of his other girlfriends (not that there'd been many), he'd always pictured this going a lot more smoothly. They'd kiss passionately and fall to the bed in a effortless tangle of limbs, somehow knowing exactly where to put their hands and lips as they drove each other to the edge. No words would be exchanged except heated gasps of each other's names, and they would know just by the tone whether they need more, more, _more_.

Actuality wasn't exactly like that.

At least the setting was like in his daydreams - they'd booked a nice, fancy hotel just for the occasion. The gigantic bed loomed like a third presence. Hope couldn't stop staring at it the second they'd dumped their bags on the floor, which just added to the sudden awkward silence.

Lightning cleared her throat as though to dispel it, but it didn't work. She stared at Hope for a second before wandering around the room a little, her arms crossed under her chest. Her gaze stared out the window. It wasn't much to look at - just a skyline of the city - but it would likely be nicer later at night.

Hope stared at her back, letting out a quiet, nervous breath. He knew they wanted this. He wanted _her_, and had for what seemed like ages now. And now that they were ready…

He approached her, sliding his arms around her waist and leaning in to kiss her neck…only to be met with a mouthful of hair. She started as he made a surprised noise and spit it out, which caused her to accidentally jab her elbow in his side.

"Ow!" Hope clutched the area she'd stabbed. "Geez, Light, you and your pointy elbows, seriously."

"Romantic." She smirked and shook her head, lightly patting the 'injured' area. He stared at her hand, imagine it touching him _without_ his shirt in the way…and maybe a little further down…

The pain dissipated almost immediately as he leaned in to capture her lips. At least they had practice with kissing - not as much as he'd like to have, of course, but they could certainly rectify that. It was _walking_ while kissing they didn't know how to do, unfortunately.

And even more unfortunately for him, he misjudged the distance back to the bed and tripped over nothing, abruptly pulling away from Lightning's lips with a startled yelp as he crashed against it, half of his body awkwardly on the mattress while the rest was on the floor. Only Lightning's quick reflexes kept her from bonking her head on the bedside table in the meantime. She ended up on the floor instead.

Hope wanted to kick himself. So much for being suave.

There was a long pause, as though the two of them were trying to figure out what the heck had happened. To his surprise (and relief), when he met her eyes, it seemed like she was trying not to laugh, and a smile crossed his face as well. They both managed to hoist themselves up onto the bed, staring at each other for a moment.

"That was graceful of you," she quipped, raising a teasing eyebrow.

"At least we didn't end up on the floor!" Only she had. Oops. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we're up here now, so…"

"…So we are." She scooted a little closer to him, and the look in her eyes made Hope's heart begin to race. "And while we're up here…"

Their lips met again. For awhile, they just sat there side-by-side and kissed. It was familiar. Safe.

But not what either of them were after.

There was another awkward little pause when they began to shift around, but it was nothing to complain about. When Lightning started to lean back against the pillows, Hope easily aided her, their kisses growing a lot more heated. A quiet, pleased noise escaped him when her arms went around his waist, hands fisting in his shirt.

_Yes, yes, yes._

_This_ was what he'd had in mind…which meant, naturally, that it would last for all of point two seconds.

In his imagination, clothing removal was sort of blur. He couldn't really easily picture how it would happen, just that their clothes would be blessedly _off_. Of course, real life had to be way more complicated than that.

Maybe it would have gone off without a hitch had they not had the same idea at the same time, but Hope's already overheated mind realized a little too late that her hands were struggling to tug his shirt off at the exact same moment that his were doing the same.

Reluctantly, he broke their kiss, already breathing heavily, and flickered his eyes at their tangled arms. Both of their shirts were halfway off, and he just really, really wanted to rid Lightning of hers because hello, navel piercing. But she seemed reluctant to be the first half-naked one and tugged on his shirt insistently. "Let me."

"…Okay." Whatever made her comfortable, he was going to do. And it _was_ a relief when she finally tugged his shirt off and dropped it to the floor. The appreciation in her gaze made his heart thud - she'd seen him shirtless numerous times, but never with… _this_ kind of look on her face.

After a moment, he reached over and gave a little tug on the hem of her shirt in a silent question. She looked confused for a second, but then nodded, lifting her arms as he slipped her shirt off and tossed it aside with a little too much enthusiasm. His appreciative stare was cute short when her shirt smacked into the lampshade with a weird amount of force, almost toppling the lamp over.

"Shit!" Hope flailed and reached out to steady it, ignoring Lightning's snort of amusement. She was still smirking when he looked at her again, though it quickly faded into a much more desirable stare.

She was so beautiful…not to mention still here, after he'd eaten her hair, sent her to the floor, and almost knocked over a lamp.

There was another glorious long moment as their lips met again, hands hesitantly roaming over each other's bare skin. Hope felt as though his touch was a little more enthusiastic, but it was clear that they were both really unsure. It was almost as though they were testing each other's boundaries and finding out what the other person liked.

As though he could ever _not_ like anything Lightning could possibly do to him, really.

When her hands roamed down to the small of his back, he couldn't help the embarrassingly loud moan that escaped him. Apparently that was a really sensitive area. Who knew?

His noise was enough to make Lightning pull away from his lips with a surprised gasp, sounding breathless when she spoke. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he answered, pressing a kiss to her jaw. "That just - it felt nice."

"I didn't even do anything."

"Guess you did." He smiled against her skin, lips roaming downwards, relishing in the gasps and sharp inhales of breath. He'd figured out in the past year that there was a certain spot on her neck that Lightning particular like attention on, so he busied himself with that as his hands moved to her back and struggled to unclasp her bra.

And struggled.

And struggled.

…And _struggled_.

She seemed to notice his frustration, because her pleased noises stopped about halfway through and she arched her back a little as though to aide him. It didn't really help.

"Do they superglue these things together?" he muttered, sounding frustrated in more ways than one.

To his surprise, she chuckled. Maybe his lips had put her in a good mood. "Want me to do it?"

"No, I - " After a few more seconds of struggle, he sighed and sat up, trying not to pout. "…Yeah, maybe you'd better."

She smirked and shook her head in amusement, but he only watched in amazed as her hands went behind her and she swiftly unhooked the bra - which was a lacy thing that he did like to look at - in about two seconds, slipping it off her shoulders and dropping it to the floor. Hope would have asked how the heck she'd done that had he not suddenly been met with the half-naked sight of her.

"Lightning…" He groaned quietly, hands immediately reaching for her breasts. A quiet gasp escaped her, maybe just at his sudden boldness.

Either way, it urged him on. He groped and touched her eagerly, kissing down over her collarbone and chest, relishing in the quiet moans that came from her. It was only when he bit down on a nipple that he heard a hiss - a good noise? He bit down again, letting out a startled little noise when Lightning attempted to move away. He lifted his head in confusion. "What?"

"Not so hard."

"Oh. Sorry." He kissed the afflicted area apologetically, and she huffed, though gave him a little smile. At least she didn't seem to mind his enthusiasm. Or maybe it was because he'd apologized.

It didn't seem to matter, because in the next moment, their lips met in a sudden almost _hungry_ kiss that was all teeth and tongue. A fuzzy thought formed in Hope's mind that it didn't really matter if he did something Lightning didn't like, because she'd let him know. And of course, he'd know not to do it again…especially since he was sure that there were _plenty_ of ways to properly please her.

The kiss was even more intense now that they were both shirtless. He could feel how heated her skin was against his own, though it only served to turn him on so badly that it was nearly painful.

"I want you," he managed to breath out out of the corner of his mouth. Okay, it was a cliched line, but cliches were that way for a reason. And besides, it was completely true. His heart and mind already had her…and now his body desperately wanted her as well.

She let out a deep moan, though whether it was at it words or the instinctive way their hips moved together was lost on him. Damn these clothes in way. They needed to go. They _had_ to go, and he didn't care how many lamps they knocked over.

With an obvious amount of reluctance, he moved from his position on top of her and rolled to his side instead. Pretty smart of him, he figured, since it'd be easier to get the rest of their clothes off this way. That little theory was proven when they easily kicked their shoes off, barely hearing the _thunk-thunk_ as they hit the floor.

There was one awkward moment where both of their hands reached for the buttons of each other's pants at the same time, but it was quickly dispelled when Lightning insistently tugged on his waistband. He complied, especially since they were starting to feel awfully…cramped.

Hope noticed with a faint smile that Lightning took care to make sure to toss his pants away from any lamps. He was about to tease her about that, but a hesitant touch of her hand suddenly rest on his hip and all he wanted was the rest of their clothes _off_ and to finally make his daydreams come true.

Her pants were much easier to get off than that bra, much to his relief. She seemed just as eager as he was, which was a relief.

They were ready for this.

Hope barely got to admire the view once her pants were off, leaving her only in a pair of lacy panties - hey, they matched the bra, had she done that on purpose? - since she abruptly rolled onto her side and pressed her lips to his neck before murmuring into his ear, "You brought protection, right?"

"Uh - " It was incredibly difficult to concentrate on the word. All he could think about was her husky, needy tone. "Y-Yeah, it's uh - in my bag."

Her reply came in that same tone. "Better go get it while you can."

"G-Good idea." Where the hell had she gotten that tone of voice? Good thing she hadn't used it at all in the past year, or their first time would have come a lot sooner.

With a herculean amount of effort, Hope forced himself away from her and off the bed, walking on shaky legs to where he'd dumped his bag. He glanced up in Lightning's direction, staring for a second at her nearly-naked body - those toned arms, long legs, her breasts and _navel piercing_, and holy hell, he _really_ needed to find where the hell he'd stashed the condoms.

At first, the quiet in the room didn't seem that way due to the heat cackling between them. Their desperation was practically tangible. But as the minutes ticked on, it faded into impatience as Hope flung the stuff in his bag out and around the room, searching in every single pocket.

"….Crap."

He heard a rustling of sheets as she sat up slightly, regarding the stuff in piles around him. A knowing look appeared on her face.

"…You forgot to pack them, didn't you?"

Hope wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Or perhaps the floor would open up and swallow him. When that didn't happen, though, he awkwardly stood and made his way back to the bed, rubbing the back of his neck and admitting with guilt, "…Yeah."

Lightning sighed. It was a noise that was still tinged with desire that almost unmade him, and he was _incredibly_ tempted to forget about being safe and just give in to what his body so desperately wanted.

But he couldn't do that to her.

"Now what?" she asked, effectively interrupting his thoughts.

"Um…" Hope _wanted_ to say he was becoming less aroused, but Lightning was just sitting there looking all beautiful and topless and he couldn't tear his eyes from her. "I could, uh, see if the store in the lobby has anything."

He flushed slightly when her gaze drifted to the front of his boxers. Apparently he wasn't the only one with a staring problem. "I don't think you're really in the right…condition for that." Her cheeks turned pink at the implication and she abruptly looked away.

"I could, uh…" Though before he even finished the sentence, he knew that helping himself out wasn't the best idea, even with Lightning distracting him. "….Hm."

"Maybe we can just call this a practice session." The corners of her lips turned upwards in a very slight smile, and she leaned up to kiss him. "We can go have dinner or something and then check to see if any stores around here have, uh - " she cleared her throat, "anything we can use." He cheeks turned pink again. "Maybe tonight or tomorrow."

Much to his libido's disappointment, Hope's mind agreed with the idea. And she had a point about this being practice, because at least next time - _there was going to be a next time_ - he'd know not to bite so hard.

"Okay." He leaned in and kissed her, letting out a long breath when he pulled away. "Sounds like a plan." Her reply was to smirk, which he raised a questioning eyebrow at.

"Better go take a cold shower, then."


End file.
